Dear Diary

I received my first diary at age 10 and have maintained the practice until today. The diary featured a scene of a girl gathering flowers with a snail trailing behind, dressed in bell-bottom jeans and a floral bonnet. "One Year Diary" was inscribed in italic gold letters at the top, accompanied by a small lock and key. Despite occasional lapses, in 1984, a new diary adorned with two bunny rabbits on the cover reignited my passion for writing. I documented various aspects of life with meticulous detail, including family gatherings, crushes, prank calls, school outings, picture theatres, roller-skating, birthdays, slumber parties, fashion, music, cars, discos, pets, and VHS rental reviews.

These entries encapsulate a sense of hope, love, and joy. The pages resonate with the sounds of laughter, the pangs of adolescent heartache, and the inevitable shifts in friendship dynamics. The writing is authentically honest yet tempered, offering a valuable record of my coming-of-age experience in 1980s inner-city Melbourne as the daughter of a migrant family. The insights from these diary entries have served as inspiration for various projects, such as "Be-Tween Dreams" (2020) and "The Prom Dress" (2023).

the prom dress

Work in progresss, 2023

I recently received the dress my mother made for my school prom, a surprising reminder of an event that took place 35 years ago. Unearthing three diary entries related to the dress, chronicling some memorable teenage escapades, motivated me to create a video. In this visual representation, a model dances in the dress to The Bangles' "Hazy Shade of Winter," a chart-topping song from 1988, the year of the prom. Accompanying the visual is a recording of myself reading the diary entry that corresponds to the dress.

The dress itself was inspired by a MODE magazine picture and crafted from Shantung, a silk fabric renowned for its distinctive irregular ridges, or slubs. Despite its subtly uneven texture, Shantung is considered the pinnacle of silk fabrics by connoisseurs and is often chosen for luxurious wedding gowns.

“…when the day finally arrived, and Rachel and I entered the hall in our “mother-made” frocks and saw our friends all dressed up we began feeling excited. Our friends looked so beautiful, so different, I was shocked.”

be-tween dreams: Excerpts from a diary keeping t(w)eenager in the 1980s.

March 2020, East Melbourne Library

Be-Tween Dreams showcased a selection of diary entries from age 11 & 12. Subject matter included my first kitten, my best friend’s first kiss, a list of junk food eaten at the local swimming pool, a letter written to my parents in the school holidays listing the highlights - watching horror movies.

Sunday 9/9/84

Dear diary,

This morning I watched POLTERGEIST. It was good. I didn’t watch all of it. After that I had breakfast, got dressed and went to play outside with Emily from across the road. She said to me ”Do you want to watch Paper Dolls? When it as on TV I taped it”. I said ”Alright” because I didn’t watch it when it was on TV. It was really good. She brought it over to my house to watch on our video player. At 8.30 I watched Little Darlings. I reckon that was really really good. During today sometime I washed the car. BYE BYE.

Jan 22 1984

Dear mum and dad,

At the moment I’m having a great time. So far I’ve watched 7 films on their V.D.O (video). I’ve watched Cujo, Mary Poppins, Class of 1984, Happy Birthday to Me, Q the Winged Serpent, Rabid, and Christiane F. They were great films. When Kelly was getting her perm she chucked a fit when the hairdresser was putting the setting lotion on her hair because it was dripping all over her sun burn. I wish I could have a perm too. Maybe not the same as Kelly’s. Anyway, Kelly’s got this trampoline in her backyard. It’s big and blue. Well, I got nothing else to say. Bye for now. Miss you all!!!!

Love Adele Daniele