The term Gentrification was coined by British sociologist Ruth Glass in 1964 to describe people in the working class districts of London being displaced as a result of their “modest mews and cottages” being replaced by “elegant, expensive residences”. In fact, gentrification has been happening well before the mid-20th century and today at an ever increasing rate around the world. Metrotown, one of the many town centres in Metro Vancouver, is a text-book example. During the past few years, affordable rental apartments in the area were being demolished one by one for the development of sky-scraping condos. As a result, the old tenants were evicted with some having nowhere financially bearable to move to. Through the use of instant photography, in particular the Instax Mini format, this series tries to capture the gentrification of Metrotown as the undeniable and unalterable truth that is often ignored but worth the attention and care from all of us.
