Shasmika Thiagarajah
KINGSTON ROAD
Kingston Road is an essay discussing an intersection between development and homelessness. This is a collection of photos that I have taken along Kingston Road in Scarborough. Although the road goes beyond Scarborough, I chose to take these photos to document the last remaining motels that live there. There is an ongoing discussion of how Scarborough is becoming gentrified. Gentrification is when people of higher class move into working class neighbourhoods. When new development is pushed there are higher cost and a changing culture that the long-time residents can not adjust to. The desirability of an area increases as more folks move in and this pushes for more development that tears down old communities and establishments. As a consequence, gentrification creates conflict between old residents with new development. I decided to collect these photos to create a digital collection of what is left in Kingston. Haux and their colleagues write in Cultural memory of the Digital Age?, that digital culture and heritage can be and are being documented. The authors also mention that not every part of digital heritage can be kept, as the digital world is ‘short term,’ and rapid that some will be lost. The culture of Scarborough is slowly being erased and there needs to be more done to preserve it. This visual essay can pertain of what will one day be lost. I hope that my essay can take part in digital preservation as well as be an entry of the Scarborough heritage. I hope viewers can critically observe the current states of gentrification happening in Scarborough and which communities will exist in its place.
About Shasmika Thiagarajah
Shasmika Thiagarajah is a university student who, in her off time, spends creating and crafting new pieces of work. Her art page: @shashmitriestoart is her exploring her identity through creative practices. She incorporates her roots in Scarborough and her Sri-Lankan heritage throughout her work. Currently, Shasmika is exploring her neighbourhood and finding odd and liminal spaces to create a space for viewers to think and reflect.