Collins St., 5pm 2023

It's five o'clock one afternoon in Melbourne, Australia. Collins St is awash with people. Some people might just see a herd of humanity heading off home at the end of a working day. However, every person has their own individual story. So many different things have brought them here at this time to be part of the cavalcade that clogs the footpaths on one of Melbourne's busiest streets. In 1955 John Brack painted a scene of Collins St, Melbourne at 5:00 pm.
The colours were muted and the painting was filled with unnamed unsmiling people. What sort of lives did they lead? What thoughts passed through their minds? There is no time machine to go back to ask themFast forward to 2023. Same street, different people, different faces. Their thoughts and lives are just as real, just as important and just as individual. The following fictional vignettes encourage you to dig a little deeper.