I finally got around to sorting through my photos from last year's trip to Thailand. I've been to Bangkok a number of times over the past 10 years and there are a few things that I always notice. The first of those 'things' is colour. The unashamed, in your face, bright as can be, use of colour. T-shirts, taxis, umbrellas, buildings the list goes on. The Thai love colour. So do I.
Isolation
Emerge 1st Edition / Group Exhibition, Brunswick Street Gallery, 9th - 21st Jan 2018
ISOLATION
2017
Isolation. n. The condition of being alone, especially when this makes you feel unhappy.
At some time in their life, everyone will experience feelings of isolation. Some more than others and not always the ones you expect.
“Successful people are driven. They usually work harder, persevere longer, and bounce back from adversity faster than others. While some people are just natural go-getters, drive sometimes stems from hurt and pain. High achievement may temporarily mask a person’s heartache, but the anguish lurks just beneath the surface”. Amy Morin, LCSW
F3 Studio - Form, Function, Fuzzy Feeling
Before I move fully in to 2018, I thought I'd share one last project from the final weeks of 2017. This one a moody, warm and inviting home studio, and the new digs of Mr. James Woodfood of F3 Studio. Um, how about those soft grey curtains for a start?
Glen Iris House by Silvia Roldan
Happy New Year! I had a pretty busy second half of last year and was a little (ok, a lot) slack bringing you new work here on my journal. I thought I'd start the year sharing a few shoots from the final weeks of 2017. First up some images from a Glen Iris project by talented Interior Designer, Silvia Roldan. Some gorgeous art and custom pieces in this one - a pleasure to shoot. Wishing you all the best for 2018!
Glenn Murcutt's Australian Islamic Centre
On what was one of the coldest Melbourne days of the year, I took a tour of Pritzker Architecture Prize–winning architect Glenn Murcutt and Elevli Plus's Australian Islamic Centre in Newport, a contemporary Australian mosque. The formal design draws on modernist principals with beautiful glimpses into and through the building. The entrance is open and transparent allowing outsiders a view to the inside, a feature not typical of traditional mosques and designed as such to be inclusive and respectful of people of all faiths.
Inside is a vast space, bathed in symbolic colours of Islam by roof-mounted lanterns that illuminate the room and provide a dynamic pattern across the walls and floor. The tranquil, reflective water courtyard is another beautiful feature, not to mention the external concrete staircase.
There's still work to be done at the site but I highly recommend a tour, which is led and enriched by Ali Kaddour and his nephew, Ali Abou-Zeid whose dedication and enthusiasm is infectious!
I look forward to returning (this time with my tripod!) on its completion.
Wandering, searching.
Whenever I'm about to start a new body of work I like to ditch the tripod and wander. See Melbourne town through fresh eyes. Sometimes I'm looking for something in particular, sometimes nothing. I never take my car but I often find myself in a carpark. There's something in that. Don't know what. Yet. Here's a fairly incohesive sample.
Peter MacCallum Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Hospital
I was privileged and honoured to have had an opportunity to shoot inside the Peter MacCallum Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Hospital by McBride Charles Ryan, DesignInc and SilverThomasHanley. This monolithic, organically shaped building sits poetically amongst the English Elm trees at the gateway to Parkville’s medical precinct. Inside the impressive Guggenheim esq, natural light-filled, white atrium is beautifully punctuated with colour, patterns and textures providing endless angles and opportunities for architectural and interiors photography. Here are a few highlights.
Ville Radieuse and beyond in Melbourne
I recently came across Ville Radieuse (The Radiant City), an unrealised urban master plan by Le Corbusier, from 1924. His orderly, modernist vision for our future was standardised, symmetrical, included effective transportation, and was balanced with natural elements throughout.
The influence of this proposed urban plan can be seen throughout Melbourne, which is rich in modernist architecture. The balance with the natural element is not so evident, which led me to explore the post modern as well - in hope.