Description:

When David Cook moved to Hamilton East, he was drawn to the colourful and creative lives of his neighbours. With camera in hand, he explored everything from front-yard mechanics to Sunday roasts, creating an intimate documentary of a State Housing suburb in the 1990s, moments before gentrification set in. In this energetic photobook, we look back twenty-five years to see burgeoning issues of relevance today: housing, bicultural relations, social welfare, and freshwater quality, all brought to us through the lens of daily life.

The book has been designed to bridge the world of 90s hamilton, with a contemporary Aotearoa audience. The typographic forms take influence from 90s lettering, while still maintaining a rich intimate feel. The book features a fold-out section, which extends a series of photographs taken in one living room.

The title, Jellicoe & Bledisloe, is a reference to the local street names, commemorating New Zealand Governors General from the early twentieth century. Reflecting on this colonial heritage, Cook writes an engaging first-person account of the suburb, featuring a conversation with Ngāti Wairere historian Wiremu Puke. Together they unearth suppressed histories and rewrite our understanding of the Waikato landscape.