Parragirls Past, Present - 2018

Abstract

Parragirls Past, Present is a deeply moving immersive experience presenting former residents’ contemporary visions of Parramatta Girls Home, a punitive Australian child welfare institution closed in 1974. Unlocking conflicting memories of institutional ‘care’, this collaboration with media artists and Parragirls rewrites the history of Parramatta Girls Home. Over a century, children at risk held at this site were subjected to unwarranted punishment and abuse. Returning after 40 years, Parragirls seek out traces to substantiate what really happened here, moving through fear and futile confinement to resistance and solidarity