When I was a child, I wondered what it would be like to live in someone else’s body, and I would envisage morphing into my little brother. As I've grown older, this feeling hasn’t gone away - but it’s now more about wanting to morph into people’s minds. A little strange and abstract, I know.

I guess it really exploded when I was living in the US, and I became curious as to why people thought a certain way. This curiosity, and subsequent research, took me down historical rabbit holes; and looking back now, I realise that my move to Memphis was a bit like going through a portal - back in time.

Back in time to another era - The South - where Religion rules and the shadow of Jim Crow Laws, White Flight and Redlining still cast a dark stain (which I’ve written about here) - but it was a portal into another dimension of the human race, and just how differently we all think based on where we’ve grown up, how we’ve been brought up, and what our current circumstances are. It’s why I’ve always loved travel so much - it gives you such a great perspective on how others think and live.

So it came as no surprise that one year on since returning from the US, moving back to my lovely, but rather quiet neighbourhood, that I’d want to delve into another type of portal - one that might remind me of a past life; but also give me that sense of wonder, awe and curiosity that was pouring out of me in the US.

*Photo by Christina Day - Ruby Falls, Chattanooga, Tennessee*

Cue the Netflix hit ‘Stranger Things’.

I’m late to the party I know, but when my 10 year old announced that the 1985 song ‘Running up that Hill’ by Kate Bush was his favourite song (which features heavily in Series 4, and has hit No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart this week), and my 13 year old told me she’d watched Stranger Things about 10 times, I knew it was time to check it out. And once I’d met Joyce, Hopper and the kids, I realised this was another portal in which I could escape from reality, and delve down into another dimension.

As I was going through some old photos, I also realised I had many ‘StrangerThingsesque’ photos from my travels, and thought it might be interesting to share them here.

You’ll need to have watched the series to understand some of the references, but if you haven’t, it’s set in the 1980s, primarily in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. It centers around numerous supernatural events occurring around the town, specifically around their connection to a hostile alternate reality called the Upside Down after a link between it and Earth is made by a government child experimentation facility. Wikipedia.

I won’t be writing a synopsis here - there are plenty of those online. But here’s some of the items or topics you’ll find in the series, as seen through my photos (warning, there may be some slight spoilers below).

Bikes - the kids ride all over Hawkins on them.

These are actually the old bikes my siblings and I used to ride on Dad’s farm back in the 80s. They’ve been hiding in the shed for a long time.

Plant - this gave me a strong ‘Demogorgon’ feel.

It’s actually a plant in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.

Old building - the Hawkins Lab is located in an old building. In real life, it’s the shuttered Georgia Mental Health Institute.

This building in Memphis is also abandoned, and it gave off similarly eerie vibes.

Inside the Lab - the tiles, the bright lights and the fact it’s underground represents to me the sanitised version of the lab where Dr Brenner conducted his experiments.

This is actually the Flinders St Subway in Melbourne.

The Lab V2 - after some destruction…and what the lab really represented.

This was also shot in the Flinders St Subway.

The Upside Down - the alternate reality. This could also be seen as a metaphor for our shadow side or our buried subconscious - the darkest parts of ourselves that we don’t want to know, the monsters in our closet, the dragon that’s been hidden & chained in the basement our whole lives.

This a photo of the farm I grew up on. I have some very happy memories of growing up there, but also some very sad ones that I buried deep down inside of myself, until they started to leak out and I had no choice but to deal with them.

The Upside Down - the overgrowth - the issues we brush under the carpet, the tendrils that grow and fester if we don’t deal with them, the discarded parts of ourselves we no longer want.

This photo was taken down a back alley in Kansas City where some homeless people lived.

The Upside Down - the storms brewing in the distance whilst the children happily play. It reminds me of the scene where Will Byers walks out of the Arcade into the Upside Down and he’s surrounded by storms.

This photo was taken in our hotel quarantine 1 year ago, at sunset. The kids were all happily playing cards, but I was on the balcony watching the sunset, wondering what the future might hold for all of us back in Australia.

The Upside Down - what is the key to escape the Upside Down when they get stuck there? What are the codes, what secrets do they need to unravel, how will they get out?

In real life, what is the key to escaping our dark times - how do we escape the dark holes that we sometimes fall into?

This is a photo of the keys of our old blue farm ute we used to drive around as kids. It still sits on the farm as a constant reminder of the fun adventures my siblings and I got up to back in the 70s and 80s.

The Upside Down - what Suzy’s desk might look like if we saw it in the Upside Down - radio, knobs, newspaper, cobwebs.

This is another photo of the old blue ute.

The Upside Down - the bodies mounting up…..and, just the eeriness of this scene.

This photo of an art installation was taken in the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.

The Upside Down - the colours, the portal, the tunnel, the cave.

This is Ruby Falls in Chattanooga, Tennessee, located in an underground cave on Lookout Mountain.

The Fair - the juxtaposition of fun and evil at the Fun Fair. Representative of the bright colours of the 80s and childhood innocence and adventure.

This photo was taken in Memphis not long after we moved there. I was fascinated with the city and excited to be on a new adventure. It was reminiscent of me growing up in the 70s and 80s when everything was new to me, and a visit to the Royal Adelaide Show for a trip on the Ferris wheel was a highlight of my youth.

Neon Colour - the 80s! Reminds me of some of the colour in the fashion and neon signs in the Starcourt Mall scenes. Also reminiscent of the poster artwork.

This is a photo of the Hernando de Soto Bridge in Memphis which is lit up each night.

Halloween Party - retro vibe & colour, reminiscent of the Halloween scene.

This was a brilliant retro Halloween installation in a hotel lobby in Kansas City, 2019. There were many reminders here of my childhood, some of which included the Star Wars R2D2, and references to Hot Wheels, Donny & Maree, Raggedy Ann, Mickey Mouse, and Viewmaster discs. My Mum and Dad brought some back from Disneyland and it resulted in hours of dreaming of going to America.

Hoppers Cabin - after it’s been ruined.

In the series, it’s destroyed by a monster - perhaps a metaphor for the enormous destruction caused by the monster hurricanes and tornadoes in the US. Or, it could be a metaphor for our minds and bodies when we’ve been outrun by a demon, or the black dog.

This is actually an abandoned house located in Memphis.

Boarded up shops - Hawkins Main Street, after the Mall has opened and taken the trade away. This is representative of much of the US. There are abandoned shops, gas stations and restaurants all over the country - a direct result of the large malls that were built throughout the 80s.

It’s also a reflection of our Western Capitalist societies where shiny and new is seen as best, and old and decayed are discarded and deemed replaceable.

Positive and Negative - representing above ground / below ground, and also lamps, light, and barbed wire.

This image also speaks to me about the four series - there’s a lot of darkness and horror, but there’s also a lot of light and really beautiful poignant relationship moments. There’s also the more positive vibe of the beginning of Series 3 where it’s all about fun, fashion and colour - a stark contrast to the darker scenes.

Doors and Clocks - this image reminded my daughter of the clocks in Series 4.

Thoughout the four series, there’s a lot of reference to portals, and ‘moving through’ things. Perhaps representing how we move through time - from one space to another, and that when one doors closes, another one opens. But it’s also about time catching up with us - and if past trauma isn’t healed, it will catch up with you at some point in your life.

There is just SO much you can take out of Stranger Things, there’s a lot going on! There’s the obviously fabulous 80s references - films, pin-up stars, games, clothes and music, but I especially love the exploration of relationships. We can probably all find a character that we can relate to - for me, it’s Joyce, who’s the fierce, intuitive mother that will do anything for her children, refuses to give up, and always has hope.

But besides the entertainment value, I also really enjoyed the deeper meanings throughout the series, and found myself analysing each season like a particular stage through life - much like a rollercoaster with the ups, downs and in between.

There are many articles online - each with differing perspectives on what Stranger Things is all about. I particularly enjoyed this one, Stranger Things: The Deeper Meaning Behind a Netflix Sensation, by Sophie Caldecott.

“Stranger Things is ultimately a study in love and relationships in all their messy brokenness, and an exploration of the things that make us human and differentiate us from the forces of evil, portrayed in the series as coming from a Dantesque place of utter coldness. The worst characters, ripe for “harvesting” by the forces of darkness, are all people who are essentially hard of heart in the first place. It is the spirit of childhood, shot through with hope and seemingly naive solidarity with the weak and the socially rejected, that wins out against seemingly insuperable forces of destruction—song, geeky ingenuity, fireworks, even a simple slingshot—all prove to be weapons of David against a horrifying Goliath.

While we contain the potential for that evil within us, it’s only ever a distortion or destruction of the good that is our true nature. Throughout the show, we see the best and the worst sides of human nature, but when masculine bravado and feminine insight work together in harmony (whether in individual characters or in the balancing of the two forces within one character), the light prevails and true human heroism emerges.“ Sophie Caldecott

But then, I came across this article The Hidden Symbolism of “Stranger Things” that focuses on the darker issues of the series:

“While most critics focus on the “nostalgia” factor of Stranger Things, the series is about much more than 80s aesthetics. It addresses a disturbing aspect of American history and, through overt and subtle symbolism, reveals the deeper, metaphysical implications of the elite’s never-ending quest for power.”

It’s written by a group called ‘The Vigilant Citizen - Symbols Rule the World, Not Words Nor Laws’, and it takes a completely different angle from the other article. It’s certainly an interesting read.

The difference between the two articles reminded me of these quotes:

And in a similar vein are these eloquent words from Nick Cave:

“Each of us is an amalgam of all we have loved and lost and learned, our personal successes and failures, our particular regrets, and our singular joys – and part of that uniqueness is that we think in different ways. Not all of our thinking is right or fully formed, far from it, but there it is, regardless – that flawed and terrifying uniqueness of thought.” The Red Hand Files

Which brings me back to my childhood fantasy of morphing into another person to understand what it feels like to look and think differently to yourself. Imagine if we were all able to do that, just for a day - how fascinating would that be! And picture how much more empathy and kindness there might be in the world if we had a greater understanding of others.

Interestingly, ‘Running Up The Hill’ is exactly what this is about - trading places with another person.

"It's saying if the man could be the woman and the woman the man, if they could make a deal with God, to change places, that they'd understand what it's like to be the other person and perhaps it would clear up misunderstandings. You know, all the little problems; there would be no problem." Smooth Radio

If only…

And just for a little nostalgia, here’s the classic video clip.

Enjoy…..and thanks for reading.

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