The Hedberg by Liminal Studio and WOHA

I’m a little ashamed to admit I made my first visit to Hobart this year, that it took a building to get me there, and that I still didn’t make it to MONA. I know, what have I been doing with my life?!

All that aside, let’s talk about the building. The Hedberg, designed by local firm Liminal Studio and Singapore’s WOHA (of Kampung Admiralty fame). Home to the lovely folks and students at University of Tasmania who welcomed me so warmly, and The Theatre Royal.

I won’t ramble on, I’ll just say that it’s a stunning building, inside and out. Suitably beautiful and functional to be home to Hobart’s performing arts. It was an absolute pleasure UTAS!

Builder: Hansen Yunken
Landscape Architecture: Inspiring Place
Lighting and Acoustics: Arup Group Limited & Southern Lighting Source

Urban Renewal in City of Boroondara

Here’s something a little different from usual, shot for the Urban Design team at City of Boroondara. The first, a laneway activation project opposite Camberwell Primary School aimed at creating a safer passage for school kids and locals. The second, a street furniture upgrade at Camberwell Market. No shortage of talent for the shoot as the locals seem to making the most of both already!

Secret Garden House by Amiconi Architects

I watched this house being built - caught glimpses of it from the surrounding streets. It’s not too far from where I’m living while my house is being built. Despite having watched it, I was still surprised, delighted even, when I made my first site visit. The clever orientation of the studio at the street, the house at back and the gorgeous, productive garden in between. I just assumed it ran straight along the eastern boundary! The interiors are impressive too. Plenty of natural light from the northern facing doors to the garden but warm and cosy at the same time. A credit to the clever team behind it!

Architecture: Amiconi Architects
Interiors: Cassie Duncan
Builder: Warrawee Homes
Landscape Design: Obake Gardens
Styling: Pip+Coop

1 Treasury Place

I spent a weekend in town last year, a belated celebration for my 40th birthday actually. Belated thanks to COVID, of course. It was the first weekend after the last big lockdown and the city was still beautifully sleepy and peaceful. I slipped out for a walk one morning and was drawn towards 1 Treasury Place, a favourite designed by Yuncken Freeman Architects in the 1960s.

Now as any photographer with a “serious” looking camera knows you can barely lift your camera around 1 Treasury Place without being asked to leave, but on this day they must have been feeling particularly generous. I think I was there for nearly 30 minutes before they told me to go away. I wasn’t finished but I was pretty pleased with the precious and rare time I had.

There’s an equally rare self portrait amongst these images to mark the occasion too!

Edge of Darkness

By the time coronavirus lockdowns first reached us in 2020 I had already be been consciously exploring the idea of isolation for several years. As you will see from previous posts (‘Isolation’ 2017’, ‘Ships in the Night, 2018’, ‘Metropolis, 2018, ‘False Warmth, 2019’) it is something I have considered through varied subject matter.

In 2020 when large sections of the population were isolating at home it provided a unique opportunity to view our urban environment in a near complete state of isolation. Coronavirus amplified the experience of isolation for a great number of people and for many left them in or on the edge of darkness.

Metropolis

As promised, I’m sharing another body of work from recent years (well, a selection of images from it). This one, Metropolis, followed on from "Ships in the Night" and was also made in 2018. It continues my ongoing exploration on the theme of isolation, a theme that has taken on a whole new meaning since I made this work. In any case, I’m not done with it!

This body of work was exhibited in 2018 at Yarra Sculpture Gallery as part of the Fresh 18 Group show. These and all of my fine art works are available in limited edition prints - get in touch via the Contact page if you’d like to know more.

Metropolis

I am drawn to cities and never tire of capturing their beauty, overt and hidden. There is a certainty in the symmetries, patterns, colours and forms that is familiar and comfortable.

The city holds great appeal for me yet I feel an imbalance.

As our cities grow and sprawl, so too does our sense of isolation and loneliness. The rural villages of connected communities have given way to vast metropolises of concrete and steel, overflowing with profoundly disconnected, lonely individuals. Disconnected from each other and from nature.

John Wardle's Ballarat GovHub

I spent a glorious day in Ballarat last month shooting John Wardle’s Ballarat Gov Hub, a new home for up to 1000 employees on the town’s ‘Civic Hall’ site. The low rise, zinc clad building has a gabled roof and mass timber structure that reference a rural shed, and can be seen from many vantage points around the town. It sits along side the library, the 1950s Civic Hall and a park, which together will become an important precinct for community, government and commercial activities in the Ballarat CBD.

Developer: Development Victoria
Architect: John Wardle Architects
Builder: Kane Constructions and Nicholson Construction joint venture
Engineer: Aecom
Landscape Architect: Aspect Studios

Here are some images from the shoot.

False Warmth, 2019

A few people have asked me lately where they can see the fine art series that I’ve made over the past few years. I thought I’d share some here. This series is False Warmth, which I made in 2019 over many cold winters nights in inner city Melbourne. Before Covid was a thing…

Personality facades. The masks people wear; the inauthentic versions of themselves they present to the world to hide anxieties, depressions and traumas.

Often these masks are developed in early years to protect from feelings of inadequacy, weakness or insecurity and are carried through into adulthood.

At night, when returning home, they take off their masks. Sometimes this brings relief and sometimes it makes space for the anguish and despair to rise. The safety of home can bring comfort from a cold world but it can also bring a deeper isolation, a false warmth.

No Left Turn - False Warmth, 2019

Lace - False Warmth, 2019

Through The Cracks - False Warmth, 2019

Post Box Corner - False Warmth, 2019

The Adjacent - False Warmth, 2019

Towing Service - False Warmth, 2019

Freeway home - False Warmth, 2019

Riots - False Warmth, 2019

Skeletons - False Warmth, 2019

Shamrock Store- False Warmth, 2019

Cutouts - False Warmth, 2019

Theresaville - False Warmth, 2019

Leaving - False Warmth, 2019