The nostalgic clicking, whirring sound of winding up a disposable camera conjures up memories of a time before highly curated social media photo shoots. 

When one-hour photo express kiosks were on every corner, and the perfect family holiday photos were completely left to chance.

Two men play chess on an outdoor table, where others are playing in the background

The project encouraged locals to go out and meet their neighbours. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

Two girls stand side by side with their hands in prayer position.

The images have been included in an exhibition that celebrates the Perth community. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

A unique exhibition in the inner-city Perth suburb of Northbridge sent 25 disposable cameras to a diverse group of locals with one simple instruction: “Take five and wind it on.”

An older woman stands at the bottom of outdoor stairs, with a younger woman and two children standing above her.

Generations of families have called Northbridge home.  (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

The project is the brainchild of the Northbridge Common community group, which came up with the idea to encourage locals to meet, mingle and explore the beauty of their suburb. 

“The idea was take five photos with a theme, whether that be people, places, wildlife or architecture and then pass it on,” curator Alice Ding says. 

A girl with long dark pigtails wears a frilly pink dress and knee high white socks with one hand on a large tree.

Some participants staged photo shoots in the local park.  (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

“You see images from inside local businesses, on the street, and then there’s a lot of beautiful staged photos, but the ones that I love most are the completely candid spontaneous ones. 

“Sometimes there’s a bit of blur — it’s imperfect, but that’s what we love because it’s all about the process.”An asian man stands in front of shelves of bamboo steamers and behind boxes of orange citrus fruit.

Local business owners are featured in the photos.  (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

Waves of migration celebrated

The photographs, shown in public parks and venues across the suburb, celebrate the diversity, food and culture woven into the area through waves of migration.

A mosque dome is lit by sunlight, with power line sweeping across the frame and cars in the dark foreground

The project showcases multicultural Northbridge. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

Chinese workers settled in the area in the late 1800s and cultivated the swampy areas, later setting up market gardens and grocers.

A woman in an apron smiles as she stands in front of a deli slicer, in front of shelves of cheese.

Northbridge institution The Re Store opened in 1936, and is still serving up authentic Italian coffee and deli rolls. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

A wave of Greek and Italian migrants called Northbridge home after World War II, bringing delicatessens and cafes with new flavours and aromas like coffee and olive oil.

A man in a striped apron stands in front of a brick wall and holds a chef's knife up.

The project features people in a wide variety of jobs in the community. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

“People will notice a lot of familiar faces within the exhibition. We appreciate the beautiful displays of fresh fruit and vegetables at the local Vietnamese grocer,” Ms Ding says.

Embracing the imperfect shot

Ms Ding admits it was tough choosing which images to include in the exhibition.  

Dozens of photos lie in rows on a wooden lounge room floor.

The response was so overwhelming that not all of the photos could go on display. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

“We ended up getting them all developed and we spread hundreds of photos … out on my living room floor,” she says. 

“It was pure chaos and took four of us hours to fine tune what we wanted to select because there were some incredible photos.”

Beauty in the everyday

“The process also made us realise how much we have in common as well,” the curator says. 

“There are so many things we see every day but don’t really notice, [it’s a reminder to] appreciate the beauty in the everyday.

A woman sits on a wooden bench surrounded by pigeons, with one perched on her knee.

The project captured quiet moments of life around Perth. (Supplied: Northbridge Common)

“We’re pretty pleased to have created two small zines and a wonderful public banner and we’re really excited to print out some more and get them up on the walls in Northbridge — it’s a great way to meet your neighbours.”