5 April to 24 June 2006
Rubbish: cleaning Melbourne's streets reflected on the city's changing relationship with its rubbish, from its early reputation as 'Smelbourne' to its more environmentally-aware consciousness of today.
The exhibition explored questions such as what constitutes 'rubbish' and how this has changed through time; who should bear the responsibility for its removal and disposal; and how the city's present methods of control developed. In telling the story of the city and its rubbish, the exhibition examined tips, scavengers, rats, cesspits, rubbish bins and other mucky aspects in the city's history.
Curated by Caitlin Stone
Caitlin Stone is a postgraduate student in the School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne. She is undertaking a Master of Arts in Public History and Heritage.
Her thesis,
'The dirtiest town in the world': domestic rubbish and its disposal in late 19th- and early 20th-century Melbourne' uses archival sources, images, parliamentary reports and newspaper articles to explore the city's early relationship with its rubbish.