I like long walks on Parramatta Road (2024) combines elements of documentary with fiction to immortalise the guts and glory of Sydney’s oldest motorway. Histories paved into the bitumen road are uncovered in a series of intimate video portraits. Interwoven with audio testimonies from locals, these carefully framed scenes exhibit an abnormal sense of stillness, allowing the viewer to experience the rich and larrikin personas of the motorway.
'Billy in his shop' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'Princess Diana in Granville' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'Parramatta, where the eels lie' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'Mel the watchmaker' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
Since at least the 1990s, large portions of Parramatta Road have been in a state of ongoing dereliction. What was once an Indigenous track used to travel to Parramatta, is now considered cursed. Passengers in their vehicles perpetually enter or exit the highway. The monotonous act of driving down the road engenders a strange feeling of directionlessness. However, surveying Parramatta Road as a pedestrian reveals the motorway as a labyrinth of lived experience, spanning across not only decades, but thousands of years.
'Lipstick Lesbian Sun Tanning' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'Bride in David's Studio' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'Da Franco Concord' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'Peter, the Uber Driver' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
'David's Studio Window Display' (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
Introduced contemplating her own demise, the ‘Depressed Woman’ in I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road declares her resolve in giving up on life. However, in a bizarre act of self care, she decides to take a stroll down the infamous highway. Forced to contend with the rapid motion of cars she becomes an active player in her surroundings. She loiters, makes friends, enemies and experiences divine intervention at Sarks Religious Supplies, Ashfield. Uniting an empathic view of the road with irony and wry humour, her pursuit of walking evokes an emotionally layered appreciation for the motorway.
‘Depressed Woman in Silk Flora’ (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
‘Olympia Milk Bar, J & N Foitiou’ (Still) 2024. Kate McGuinness
I Like Long Walks on Parramatta Road embodies a tone of redemption in its portrayal of the persevering characters, buildings, and businesses along the motorway. While defending a strong sense of place the film emphasises walking as an act of resistance to the fast pace of the city. Comprising more than 40 locations, the vibrant display of daily life elevates Parramatta Road from its reputation as Sydney’s ‘varicose vein’.