Author(s): Edmund Robless

PHOTOGRAPHY

There was a time when hip hop was created by the poor, for the poor. It was played out on the streets of the Bronx in New York in the early 1970s, to release frustration at poverty and oppression. Like any artform, hip hop has been 'blinged' - pushed through the marketing machine past the point of recognition. Hip hop today barely resembles its former self, and can now be found on Saturday morning TV - a violent and sexualised commercial entity that makes money for the money makers. A long way from its birthplace of the Bronx. Hip hop became popular on the streets of Perth in the 1980s, and Forest Place became Perth's home to hip hop; a mecca for youth seeking to explore this new American culture. Its place in WA cultural history is captured in an innovative new book, published by Loose Booty Productions. Edmund Robless as author of the photographic work, The Streets of Perth Past and Present, has recorded cultural expressions of the early 1980s - the first graffiti artists, the first break dancers, or b-boys. 'The Streets of Perth Past and Present' is about two happy accidents. One is the comparison of Perth's past and present.
Throughout the book, images once used for a publication titled 'The Streets of Old Perth' by Tom Austen, have been re-shot and partnered for effect. This allows us to immediately realise two things - that Perth has not changed, and yet indeed it has. Perth's architecture remains a platform for ever-evolving new cultures.The second happy accident is the blending of Robless's work life with his passion - his graphic design business with his love of hip hop. 'Most people I know are like this these days - they have a job, but a passion stirs them behind the scenes. I have been able to merge the two. Which really is everyone's dream, isn't it?' A publication that captures our ability to reminisce in an innovative way, that compares Perth's past and present streetscapes, so that all generations can connect with it. A multimedia project that harnesses several facets of creativity. Design is partnered with music; cultural expression is fused with memory. Included with the book is a CD.