After the flood: Anna Kiparis revists Maribyrnong three years on

On the aboriginal greeting of 14 October 2022, the Maribyrnong River flooded, peaking astatine 4.22 metres and impacting hundreds of properties.

Two days later, Anna Kiparis took two photographs precocious successful the night. The images became a visual record, ne'er intended to go a series.

She was simply documenting the surroundings and repercussions of the Maribyrnong flood’s force, to seizure its interaction connected the community.

‘Aftermath, Maribyrnong 2022’ would ultimately beryllium shortlisted for the 2023 Footscray Art Prize.

Now three years later, Kiparis returned to the aforesaid flood affected areas to seizure the community’s resilience.

Photographing those aforesaid residential structures today, ‘Aftermath, Maribyrnong Revisited’ shows Maribyrnong arsenic a assemblage who person travel together successful the look of adversity.

Aftermath, Maribyrnong 2022. Anna Kiparis. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

‘Floodworks’ explores the reverberation of those events three years on, to commemorate a clip of uncertainty.

While ‘Aftermath’ was created with integer cameras, ‘Floodworks’ was created utilizing achromatic and white film, submerged into Maribyrnong stream water and mud. Much similar the acquisition of having your location and belongings flooded.

Kiparis tells Neos Kosmos that she was drawn backmost to the Maribyrnong assemblage due to the fact that she needed “to understand however radical rebuild and reclaim their consciousness of spot aft such a disruptive event”.

Bank and River 2025. Anna Kiparis. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

“When the floods archetypal hit, the absorption was people connected the contiguous damage, displacement and loss,” she says.

“However, I recovered that clip brought much layers to the story. Stories of resilience and adaptation.

“I wanted this photographic work to bespeak not conscionable what was lost, but what was endured. I wanted to springiness space to the affectional and carnal betterment that isn’t ever visible to outsiders oregon captured successful headlines.”

She says fixed that some clip has passed, a reflective communicative tin present beryllium told that honours some the scarring and the strength of the Maribyrnong community.

Since the floods successful 2022, Kiparis thinks the country carries some visible and invisible affectional shifts.

Aftermath, Maribyrnong Revisited 2025. Anna Kiparis. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

“There’s a consciousness of vulnerability. The daze of the catastrophe brought radical together successful ways that were earthy and real,” she says.

“In the aftermath there remains a quiescent strength and a benignant of affectional resilience that lone emerges done shared hardship.

“There’s besides a lingering consciousness of unease, particularly astir trust successful systems and successful preparedness. But alongside that, there’s been a reclaiming of agency. People person taken ownership of their recovery, their narratives, and their spaces.”

Community groups are much progressive present and the floods springiness a lived acquisition for conversations astir clime and infrastructure.

So she sees a assemblage that’s much aware.

Kiparis hopes that radical consciousness a consciousness of empathy when they spot the photos, and to understand that betterment isn’t ever accelerated but often slow.

She says beyond the flood — the photos research resilience, belonging, and however communities respond and retrieve agelong aft the headlines fade.

She wants viewers, particularly those affected, to spot their strength successful some rebuilding homes and lives.

‘Aftermath, Maribyrnong Revisited’ and ‘Floodworks’, created with the support of Maribyrnong City Council Arts & Culture projects, are connected show astatine the Maribyrnong Library until 23 October.