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.
Urban Landscape
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
"Ships in the Night" in the time of Covid
It’s pretty quiet right now for a lot of small creative businesses and it’s no different for me, an architectural, interiors and fine art photographer. The beauty of having two parts to my practice is that when one part is quiet I can focus on the other. For the time being, while I’m not shooting on site much I’ve been reflecting on, planning and researching my fine art projects.
For the last three years or so years I have been making work about isolation and the reasons for its prevalence in our society. I’ve looked at it from many perspectives: environmental, societal, emotional and psychological. The research opportunities are fascinating and unending and I suspect I will continue to explore this idea for a long time.
In the first half of 2018, I made “Ships in the Night” which looks at Isolation in an urban environment. Little did I know back then just how apt it would become in the time of Covid, in 2020. It might not be exactly 1.5 meters I’ve depicted but it’s pretty close…
“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.”
Marion Apartments by MOS Architects
Just down the lane off Gertrude from a favourite wine bar by the same name, the Marion Apartments by MOS Architects have been crafted by Lazcon Build from an old red brick warehouse. Shot back in June with styling by Jacquie Lazzarotto. I can imagine living here, although the proximity to Marion and Tamura Sake Bar suggests I’d be eating out a lot! And for the folk that know me well, yes, it’s my bike.
"Ships in the Night" for Immerse 2019
Immerse is an art exhibition that transforms the City of Knox into a living art gallery. Extraordinary art takes over every day spaces - inviting the public to encounter the unexpected.
1 – 29 September, 2019
Ships in the Night
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.
Installation images by Samara Clifford. With thanks to Knox Art & Events
WOHA's Kampung Admiralty - 2018 Building of the Year
I was fortunate to take a quick trip to Singapore earlier this year and more fortunate still to sneak away for a few hours to shoot WOHA Architect’s Kampung Admiralty - named 2018 World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival. And rightly so. The building is mixed-use, combining social housing with commercial and retail spaces (food, medical etc) and includes a remarkable, terraced green roof. The stacked terraces include a kids playground, an outdoor gym, peaceful gathering places and a community farm, together providing a community park for residents and visitors. I barely scratched the surface in the few hours I spent there but impressed I was. Hot, but impressed.
