Picture Sydney: landmarks of a new generation

18 young Sydney people have been asked to express their ideas and feelings about Sydney in a recent photographic project at the Australian Museum.

"Landmarks are always there; just waiting for recognition." Penny Bernier

Penny Bernier, Aged 17 PARRAMATTA TOWN HALL "I took this photo as a way of looking at people in their everyday lives through a different viewpoint. When you walk into the street to photograph people, they know you are there and they are cautious. But sometimes, if people don't know you are there, that's when they're at their best. In the background, Parramatta Town Hall, which is such an important building, is being ignored. The people seem not to care. They are concerned with their own lives and purpose. Although people may not actually recognise it, the Town Hall and landmarks in general, are always there, just waiting for recognition."

The project, funded by the NSW Heritage Office and the NSW Department of Education and Training, is the latest in a series of international photographic projects initiated by the Getty Conservation Institute. The student's brief was to capture on film a Sydney landmark which for them conveys a sense of place. The project challenges young people to think about what places are important to them and to value the built environment. Bianca Jodeikin, Aged 16 KILLARA HIGH SCHOOL "This bus is my means of transport getting to and from school. Hilarious conversations with my friends are shared on our journey, the chug of the bus filled with raucous noise. Through my high school years, I have graduated from the front of the bus to the back; a step everyone takes, parallel to their development as individuals through school life. I have watched older students before me leave and younger ones arrive: the cycle continuing to turn... This photo depicts my friend hanging out the window as we talk about our fun-filled sporting afternoon." Evdokia Kritikos, Aged 16 EARLWOOD "I drive past this house nearly every day. I don't know the people who live in the house, but I just know that they are Greek. The white Corinthian columns and the fact that the house is built on a hill, is similar to the Parthenon (in Greece). This house shows how pieces of Greek culture are being brought to Australia."