Champagne and Socks

I had an appointment today with someone who has a second office in Fremantle. In the Old Fremantle Prison, in fact. Normally I visit her north of the river location but since I live wayyy south, we’re trying this one out for convenience.

It’s a “suite” aka jail cell.

So I parked outside and wandered in. As I opened the front gate and entered into what must once have been the exercise area between the very high walls and the building, I started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Then I walked into the building itself, you can see the door in the far end, in the lower right hand side of this photo.

And … well. It looks *exactly* like every prison I’ve ever seen on television. It could have been Oz, or from Law and Order, or the Shawshank Redemption. Or any of the docos I’ve seen of US prisons. I  didn’t really expect that. Maybe they only make the one kind of prison the world over?

I wandered further in and you have to pass through a gate that still has a sign that reads “No inmates past this point”. And my hackles started to rise.

I wandered further in and saw how each suite is numbered – the numbers start again from 1 on the 1st floor which is where I was headed. And … the suites are cells. There is no getting around it. People used to live in them. Be locked in them. I really really didn’t like it. And then I climbed the stairs and imagined guards doing rounds or prisoners in lines heading up or down to and from meals or exercise. It was really really creepy and uncomfortable.

And then for complete juxtaposition, there are tables with flyers and ads on them, comfy chairs to sit in and flowerpots. And music. A couple of the rooms had music lessons going on and I could hear the violin in one and walked past an open door with a kid learning a guitar. I think that was the only thing, the sort of pull back into the now and normalcy, that saved me from high tailing it. I really really really didn’t like it. I guess it triggered something for me.

Of course, the person I was going to see has a lovely suite. She has a gorgeous persian carpet covering the whole floor. Which is in stark contrast to what the person who might have done life in there would have had. She had funky chairs and little tables and bookcases and pictures on the wall. And mostly I forgot about where I was for the time I was visiting her.

But then I had to leave. And the whole thing repeated, in reverse.

I got to leave. Which was nice.

It’s definitely a very surreal experience. It’s a good and clever use of space. And it has a very large novelty. But I never really felt comfortable there.
Yes I made the next appointment for that office. (It’s closer to home)