IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME 2013 Graduating Photography Students
Sponsored by:
IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME When a photographer first begins to conceptualise the world with a camera, that is when they start to make sense of their relationship with the world, images emerge that house their raw observations, inclinations and passions. Through this process questions are posed that must to be answered, and here the journey of creating art commences. In the following pages we see these questions presented. From an exploration of social identity, to the elemental principles of made objects, to sexuality and contradictions inherent to gender, to memory and finally loss, we see the start of a journey that for some will transform, and for others become a life long quest. Photography attracts multifarious titles, but what is inherent to all genres of the medium is the capacity to tell a story, to make social comment and to provide insight into the human condition. Regardless of what genre we engage with, what makes photographs relevant is their ability to achieve these traits by asking an audience to feel, think and respond to the most primal symbolism. We now live in an image-saturated world where everyone with a mobile telephone is a photographer. Over 300 million images are uploaded to social media daily and ninety-per cent of all photographs taken throughout the history of our societies have been taken in the last decade. This astounding amount of image production and consumption has surprisingly led to popular notions that question the validity of photographs. Through their work, the photographers in this catalogue propose that this photographic proliferation doesn’t negate the importance of photography, but rather affirms it, as the most visceral and thought provoking medium of communication we have.
What can be negated by the abundance of photography is not the power of the photograph, but the ability of their authors to understand and execute the visual languages they use. In this visually driven world that I described, education is crucial. Like no other time in history we need communicators that are deliberate, concerned and informed practitioners of their craft. Anyone can make an image, but few instil photographs with intellectual originality and authenticity, few grasp what they capture, few make them relevant. Study is where creativity partners with meaning and students begin the process of developing their own conviction and belief. There is no other time in a career where the freedom exists for an individual to invent unconditionally. In this compilation of photographs we journey through the aspirations of a diverse range of curious photographers embracing this before they embark on a journey beyond academia. After this transcendence they will all pursue different paths in search of answers that position their work, but what they all take with them, and what is fundamental to their success, is the sensibility and idealism required to be relevant image-makers.
Adam Ferguson Photographer 2004 QCA BA Photography Graduate
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Jon-Erik Boholm
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Callena Brenchley
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Charlotte Danielsen
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Jasmin Felstead
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Ella Fitzgerald
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Melanie Flanagan
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Carissa Fogarty
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Anna Gee
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Jackie Gith
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Siobhan Harrington
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Marianne Henriksen
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John Vincent Johnsen
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Samantha Klodzinsky
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Hannah Leonard
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Gideon Mina
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Eloisa Riley
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Ashleigh Rundle
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Laura Seeds
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Amy Waud
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Claire Williams
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Ashton Worthy
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Madeline Wray-McCann
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Fiona Wykes
CREATIVE ADVERTISING
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Jon-Erik Boholm Creative Advertising boholmphotography.deviantart.com stupid.dingb@gmail.com
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Callena Brenchley Creative Advertising www.callenabrenchley.com callena_brenchley@hotmail.com 0409 590 535 In today’s society, advertising and consumerism place such a strong emphasis on woman’s physical appearance. ‘Beauty’ in advertising and popular culture has a very specific look and expectation. Therefore, for a woman to be considered beautiful, it has become anticipated that she has to fit into a very particular and unrealistic framework of physical attributes. As a result, many women are going to extreme lengths to change their physical appearance, whilst absorbing the indirect emotions felt through this assumption. Through the language of advertising, I am challenging this stereotypical belief of beauty and critiquing the extreme actions undertaken by women to fit the ideal. By emphasising the violent and intrusive nature of beauty products and treatments, my work depicts just how absurd and unnecessary this conformity of beauty really is.
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Charlotte Danielsen Creative Advertising lottedanielsen@gmail.com 0405033660 Sweetness I decided to do a fashion series where I wanted to play with elements that could represent the same and work with this in a creative way. Candy was something I came up with after thinking about what I could do to supplement the series and make it look decent. Candy symbolises something that is sweet and that most of us like. Women? Well, even though we can be a bit annoying sometimes, we all know that you would not survive without us. Candy and women? Irresistible.
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Jasmin Felstead Creative Advertising www.jasminfelsteadphotography.com.au Photography as a medium allows me to inform my audience instantly. In this series ‘The Hidden’ my aim is to expose the hidden ingredients and chemicals that are contained in our food and cosmetic items. These toxic ingredients and chemical cocktails are slowly accumulating in our bodies resulting in a wide range of side effects and health complications. Anti-smoking campaigns utilise scare tactics in their imagery to highlight the dangers of smoking and the consequence to one’s health, this can alienate the targeted audience. In my work I use Juxtaposition as my advertising technique of choice. I combine two seemingly alienated elements giving birth to the absurd, in order to engage curiosity and gain the audience’s attention. Ironically these seemingly distant elements are very closely related more than we are led to believe and that should concern us all.
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Ella Fitzgerald Creative Advertising www.facebook.com/ ellafitzgeraldphotography ella.fitzgerald92@hotmail.com 0401 232 517 Living Dolls My work explores the concept of hyperreality — an ability to distinguish ‘reality’ from a simulated version. The focus of this project was to bring the imagination to the physical world using visual elements and symbolism. Influenced by Tim Walker and the Japanese street style fashion, Sweet Lolita, I have created a hyper-world of ‘Living Dolls,’ where things are not as they seem. Doll-like subjects appear abandoned in a bizarre and uncanny world which exists in between imagination and the ‘real’. The use of props, costuming and makeup reinforces and supports the notion of a false sense of what is represented as being authentic.
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Melanie Flanagan Creative Advertising www.mirrormephotography.com.au melanieflanagan91@hotmail.com 0432 062 221 Water is the most veracious mirror. It reflects where we came from, what we are made of, what separates us, and what connects us.
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Carissa Fogarty Creative Advertising info@carissajayne.com With an interest in how the still image can arrest and recontextualise the everyday, this body of work seeks to evoke and suspend a sensual atmosphere after an implied sexual encounter has unfolded. Hand crafted miniature sets of real life scenes appear familiar at first glance, but a closer inspection reveals something more unsettling. These human less spaces invite us to revisit or reconsider the enigmatic boundaries between public and private, banal and intimate.
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Anna Gee Creative Advertising 0434 199 539 www.annagee.com photos@annagee.com This series is about the search for meaning in a world of commodified identity. The technique of montaging to turn 2D images into 3D is used to question how identity is depicted within the commercial realm. In a world over saturated by visuals, it´s hoped that the very technique of 3D montage gains the viewers’ attention for a split second longer than usual to impart meaning. The work aims to elicit a reflective response from the viewer by raising questions of one’s values and placement in the world.
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Jackie Gith Creative Advertising jackiegith93@gmail.com 0432 865 498 Consumer Phases Women in western culture are driven to desire beauty products and fashion due to advertising imagery. The act of consumption can give us great pleasure and satisfaction. Although not long after the indulgence, guilt follows, and then, the longing for more. Women repeatedly attempt to convince themselves that these commodities are not needed. However it’s already too late, as these products possess us, they will continue to take control until we truly allow ourselves to live without them. The characters in my work portray a stage of this cycle when they are experiencing this obsession of consuming. I have purposely not used traditional garments made of fabric, but instead paper, wire, and other recycled materials. These items almost merge with the female body, transforming them into beauty products themselves.
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Siobhan Harrington Creative Advertising www.siobhanharrington.com “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary.” — Cecil Beaton In addition to photography, I have always had an interest in fashion, illustration, and photomontage; so I thought hey, why not combine them?
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Marianne Henriksen Creative Advertising Marianne Henriksen 0405556693 marianne_henriksen@yahoo.com At the End of the Day This body of work is inspired by the amazing photographer Gregory Crewdson and his captivating cinematic narratives. My approach is slightly more humorous and quirky, yet still with a certain degree of mysticism present. All images convey an individual story, which are different from one another, yet are connected at the same time. All the events unfold in the evening, a time we are familiar with, yet also wary of. My work aims to create and capture a silent moment — a moment in which the characters are in a lost state or find themselves in a situation of change, or possible change. Not everyone is asleep at night. Maybe you are one of them?
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John Vincent Johnsen Creative Advertising john_vi@yahoo.com 0451 033 535
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Samantha Klodzinsky Creative Advertising The work of my folio explores the notion of temptation and addiction in modern day society. It takes on a playful and surreal approach to these themes, with the use of all things sweet. The focus of my work developed from an early stage of research on European painters from earlier centuries that explored similar themes in their work. My intention was to visually depict these ideas that are reoccurring throughout art history, but in a present day style. The colour palette, and use of costumes, props and female models, work together to display society’s current motif of temptation and addiction.
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Hannah Leonard Creative Advertising 0408 054 744 Originally interested in fashion and mythological narratives, my folio has developed into portraits, emphasising my own curiosities and personal flair. Portraiture is a medium which has always fascinated me as the image can say so much about a person, yet so little at the same time. I believe my final works portray both the area I intend to continue working in, whilst representing my unique view on life.
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Gideon Mina Creative Advertising Mixology My works draws upon influences of modern culture, design and in particular, De Stijl. The work demonstrates the implementation of the reduction of form and line, shape and colour in order to articulate a concept in its most succinct and pure entity. At the same time the folio intends to retain sophistication within a creative advertising framework. The series titled “mixology� exhibits the deconstruction of an array of cocktails into facets that create not only a visually dynamic compilation but also explores the intricacies of each drink in an informative manner.
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Eloisa Riley Creative Advertising eloisariley.com eloisa.riley@gmail.com 0449 911 850 Ipseity Why do you choose to be who you are when you could be anyone? Why do you choose to be who you are when you could be anyone? Consumerist identity stems from the outward appearance and is based solely on the individual’s clothing and face — it represents a lifestyle. When the face is taken away, how do we build our image of what a person looks like? My interest lies in how people represent themselves and where their self-worth is drawn from. Presenting more questions than answers, my folio aims to challenge the stereotype that worth and identity hinge on beauty and image, particularly questioning whether someone’s face is their identity.
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Ashleigh Rundle Creative Advertising avrundle@gmail.com 0488 009 046 Fashion and flesh entice us as they go hand in hand in contemporary advertising. This work aims to explore the concept of seduction and fashion without relying upon the glamour of the model. This series draws upon advertisings techniques and language, but without signifiers from recognised body language to promote a product that is represented purely by water. My second folio portrays the seductive qualities found in food. Exploring texture, shapes, curves, bumps and stems, that when photographed correctly, can create intrigue and arousal. My aim was to personify food and because of this, nicknamed my series “Nude Food�.
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Laura Seeds Creative Advertising www.lauraseeds.com laura.seeds@gmail.com In my series, the fabric represents that feeling under the skin, the feeling that we can’t properly explain because it is like nothing else. Call it a stirring, a pull, lust, love, we all experience it at some point. This undefined feeling is almost like a second entity that is independent from our body and mind but entwined with it. My work explores this coexisting force as if it took physical form. Focusing on sensuality, sexual tension and intimacy, the work represents the ‘sensation’ as a romantic or sexual partner. The models are invited to treat the animated fabric as their lover, letting them react rather than manipulate, creating a strangely authentic intimacy.
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Amy Waud Creative Advertising www.amysummerville.com info@amysummerville.com 0432 066 437 These photographs are a reflection of a modern society comparable to the animal kingdom. They challenge the idea of the alldomineering alpha male. With a strong emphasis on femininity and grace, I aim to showcase these as a woman’s most powerful attribute. The women depicted, adopt the essence of animals from the wild through fashion, body movement and form. By isolating each subject, the raw and elegant nature of each being is brought to the fore. A sense of empowerment is encouraged exclusively among women that is unattainable by the male counterpart.
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Claire Williams Creative Advertising www.clairewilliamsphotographer.com claire@cfocusphotos.com What happens when an interest in interior design collides with an urge to explore colour, in a photographers mind? This body of work utilises these two found interests whilst making a statement on the everyday. The general public are bombarded with lifestyle and homeware advertising imagery on a daily basis. My work aims to question the audiences understanding and desire for these products by exploiting their ability to decipher between ‘designer’ and hand made when it comes to furniture and homewares. In turn questions are raised about what we buy into through advertising strategies and techniques employed in its imagery.
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Ashton Worthy Creative Advertising
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Madeline Wray-McCann Creative Advertising www.madelinekate.com.au madeline@madelinekate.com.au When beginning this project I decided to look back through my previous work and I noticed a thread that I hadn’t been aware of before. This realisation created clarity and has been the inspiration towards this year-long body of work. A lover of fashion imagery and empowering women through the medium, I’ve become committed to making women feel positive about themselves, with the desire for a result in a healthy selfconfidence. Growing up as one of three girls naturally gave me the inspiration to explore the positive representation of women with my long term interest in fashion. Utilising vibrant colours and strong forms, my work creates a positive energy that gives power and control to the model. I aspired for this work to not solely present a concept but to also evoke a feeling of empowerment.
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Fiona Wykes Creative Advertising fionawykes@hotmail.com 0401 339 840 This body of work explores the increasing influence of the entertainment industry in Australian society. These images juxtapose elements from top grossing Hollywood movies (blockbusters) with events that occurred in Australia in the same year. The intention of these images is to demonstrate that this industry has become so prevalent in Australians day-to-day lives and that we are able to instantly reference and understand American culture via these iconographic images. My work invites the audience to examine why this glamorised culture has become seemingly more valuable than our own Australian identity and history.
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Ariel Cameron
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Chloe Gard
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Christopher Hoopmann
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Dante McCoy
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Deborah Messer
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Grace Moussa
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Helen Pomery
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Jake Roden
PHOTOGRAPHIC ART PRACTICE
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Ariel Cameron Photographic Art Practice arielcameron.com ariel.cameron@gmail.com My series looks at those who have chosen to build their lives at the edges of society, attempting to rekindle a relationship to nature and home. When making the photographs I stood beside my collaborator and captured their reflection in a window as they looked to the outside. The interior and exterior worlds intermingle and the figure is found in the middle, occupying multiple spaces, emphasising their relationship to both. The work centres around artists, poets, writers and others seeking alternative lifestyles in the communities of Northern NSW, documenting the rich spaces they have created.
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Chloe Gard Photographic Art Practice www.chloegard.com Someplace I see this work as a retreat into a self-made environment — a place free from expectation and the pressures of time. The photographic etching process used to create this environment is a response to modern digital photography and an attempt to be more physically involved in the image making process. I intend for my performance in front of the camera, which explores expressive feelings, to act as a stroke in the image similar to the inks smudged across the paper with my fingers.
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Christopher Hoopmann Photographic Art Practice chris@chrishoopmann.com www.chrishoopmann.com Since the eyeglass from the early 13th century, machines have shaped our perceptual and conceptual experience of the world. This idea is apparent when we assume the role of the tourist in natural environments. Through the extended eye we become a voyeur, separate to the things which we observe. There are dictated positions, viewing platforms and the learned response of the photographic experience, that shape our consumption of the natural world. Do these devices obscure or enhance our experience of the magnificence of the world in which we live?
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Dante McCoy Photographic Art Practice www.dantemccoy.com mccoyfireworks@gmail.com Syberia I’m chasing the light in visual art, trying to create illusions as part of my ideas, emotions and values. I can sense such peacefulness in the very busy city. People are rushing and having very limited contact with others, which actually creates a quiet intimate personal space for the individual. For my final project: ‘Syberia’, I integrated computer generated imagery with video to express that feeling that suggests a stand alone object in a complex environment.
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Deborah Messer Photographic Art Practice d.messer@qut.edu.au 0417 238 883 The primary function of a photograph is to authenticate rather than to represent past reality. These images are fragments of lives, a combination of experience and memory. This project is an investigation into the recesses of my collective memory by developing reactions, dissent but also attention, interest, remarking and collaboration. The past can be rebuilt into a version that is plausible but not necessarily truthful and reliable. My intention is for the photographs to create a stage for a story to be told. Artefacts which belonged to my maternal ancestors are recontextualised alongside fragmented images, staged and constructed imagery to reveal the connections with my maternal ancestors, memory and me. The fragments in their nature, appearance and methodology speak of how memory is constructed, deconstructed, obstructed and reconstructed.
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Grace Moussa Photographic Art Practice Looking at Something That Isn’t There My video work documents a group of young men and women as they are confronted by a camera and asked questions about how they feel about their body. The video begins in a blur so we may concentrate on their words before a clear physical identity is revealed. I am interested in the hidden anxieties we have about our bodies and how we most often see ourselves through the eyes of others and judge our appearance through the eyes of what we think others see.
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Helen Pomery Photographic Art Practice Silence Only Sanctions Further Abuse I lost my family to a controlling church. The male leaders of the church claim they are ‘messengers of God’ and to them all adherents must obey. My work is autobiographical, but is much more than my own story. It aims to raise serious questions about the structures and techniques of power that supports abuse. Gathering publicly available photographs and texts from published books and representing this material in an order shaped by my own experience, is in part, my response to expose abuse.
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Jake Roden Photographic Art Practice Pareidolia In order to formulate a sculptural response to an environment, my work seeks to strike a playful balance between human intervention and natural forces. Oft regarded as chance, but more accurately known as gravity, weather and light, control is relinquished over certain inputs in order to create a work that is a collision of made and found. This temporal sculpture can only be captured by the speed of the camera’s eye and the chance results trace this bodily enactment and exchange in response to site.
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Chloe Bartram
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Natalie Brockett
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Amanda Buckley
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Sam Edmonds
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Heather Fitzpatrick
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Emily May Griffin
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Shari Lee Hooper
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Nikki Hopf
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Megan Keene
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Anne Kurniawati
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Robert Lang
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Anna Lennox
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David Mines
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Denise Schilk
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Stacey Schramm
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Alban Vinevel
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Jessica Woosley
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Athena Zelandonii
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Yue Zhao (Elsa Walker)
PHOTOJOURNALISM
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Chloe Bartram Photojournalism www.chloebartram.com Sparkle, Baby ‘Sparkle, Baby’ endeavours to explore girl culture in Australia through the phenomena of beauty pageants, particularly those directed at the young. Through documenting child pageants I seek to understand if participating in these events increases the pressures a young girl feels to perform and look a certain way or rather, is it a celebration of girlhood? The framework surrounding girls’ appearance can be detrimental to their ability to make independent choices. It is not about why they compete in child pageants, but rather, who or what in society is telling them to do so.
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Natalie Brockett Photojournalism nataliebrockett.com.au hello@nataliebrockett.com.au 0437 628 293 Another Day in Paradise Infinitely more than just an image capture device, the camera has the capacity to open our eyes to see and not simply look. It allows us to give voice to people otherwise unheard and access to the new and unexpected. Ultimately it can shift preconceptions and elicit change through unearthing genuine stories that are often overlooked. It was in considering these ideas that this body of work evolved. I travelled to Surfers Paradise with a mission: not to photograph what we have seen and what we think we already know about this well publicised escapist mecca, but to record the actuality of this place and attempt to unearth its character. Our impression of Surfers Paradise is fuelled by fantastical advertising and stereotypical marketing endeavours synonymous with youthful bronzed lifesavers, model-like vacationers, sexy nightspots and exclusive high-rise hotels. This is the story of the ‘other’ Surfers Paradise.
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Amanda Buckley Photojournalism Shelved Their file status are marked “Active, pending further information”, yet the harsh reality of a cold case bears the probability they where shelved many years ago. Currently, there are over 160 homicide cases that have turned cold in Queensland. Within that figure are an abundance of women that were brought to cowardly and horrifically violent ends. Lack of evidence and resources, as well as poor investigations, are a few of the core elements that play a part in the disintegration of many of these cases. Seemingly, these women will never get their justice. Instead, their last terrified moments are trapped inside various sites over Queensland. ‘Shelved’ is concerned with documenting these burial grounds and last known whereabouts of these seemingly forgotten women. The sites provide a potent reminder that their killers are still out there, living a full life, while these young women have had their life cut tragically short.
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Sam Edmonds Photojournalism www.samedmonds.com sam@samedmonds.com 0431 145 987 Awe, Respect & Terror Australians’ relationship with sharks has always been one of conflict, one of subordination and one wrought with mythicism surrounding “Australia’s biggest fear”. Despite several species being attributed with fatal attacks near our shores, Australians have a connection with sharks that is a mix of awe, respect and terror. But in a contemporary sphere of progressive ethical thought conservation organisations are further calling for the protection of sharks and their inclusion in our expanding circle of empathy. This body of work seeks to visually articulate both the current relationship we have with these species and how they have formed a part of our identity as a beach-going culture.
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Heather Fitzpatrick Photojournalism heather.fitzpatrick@griffithuni.edu.au Back in a Minute My father is a gambler and has been for the majority of my lifetime. This body of work is an exploration of my childhood memories surrounding my father’s gambling problem and how I have come to associate this time with absense and loss. As children, my brothers and I would make the walk from our father’s home in Spring Hill to the Fortitude Valley TAB, where he would spend the majority of our weekends together. The work depicts this path I took many times as a child, re-visited as an adult. The tone of the work attempts to evoke a sense of the vacancy and despair I felt as a child, through looking at discarded objects found along this path.
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Emily May Griffin Photojournalism www.emily-griffin.com The Springtime. The feeling of invincibility, camaraderie, freedom and the spirit of making do with what we’ve got, make up one of the most formative and transitionary phases of life — youth. A general feeling of being misunderstood by people who were young during a different era led me to document my observations and experiences of life as a young adult. This is a celebration of the textures of the springtime of life, and what it means to be young today.
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Shari Lee Hooper Photojournalism www.sharileephotography.net A Punter’s Life for me Punk and Hardcore shows have been my haven for almost a decade now. Starting off as a young punter at 15, I have grown into one of the many musically obsessed. With this series I aim to capture the frenetic energy of the live show in contrast to the quieter in-between moments, and encapsulate what it is truly like to be a hardcore enthusiast. Through the intense mosh pits, the sweat, the pain, the bruises, the crowd surfs, the fight dancing, the adoration, the ultimate release of knowing every word to every song and singing it back with a room full of equally eager punters. Screaming until nothing comes out; this is the only life I want to lead.
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Nikki Hopf Photojournalism nikkihopf@hotmail.com nikkihopfphotography.com Love you always ‘Love you always’ is a project close to my heart and in memory of four friends who passed away in a car accident when I was a teenager. I have attempted to document the impact of loss these accidents have both personally and collectively. My work explores acts of remembrance and the traces of life we accumulate as a way of holding onto those who have passed. Significant items, held privately and placed at the roadside, have become a celebration of life, a dedication of love, and a testimony of somebody taken too soon. Car accidents have an impact on family, friends and, by extension, the community as a whole. My motivation behind the project is to acknowledge and pay tribute to those who have been lost and to their loved ones who remain behind.
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Megan Keene Photojournalism meganckeene.com Close to Home Thirty minutes from Brisbane’s CBD, the Samford Valley region marks the starting point where suburbia is left behind and the countryside starts. For me it has been an oasis, a place to escape to in order to breathe again. Anxiety has marked my recent past; sometimes the only way to cope was to drive, taking solace in the quiet of the space. The area is now undergoing rapid change, with housing estates in brisk development, advancing the steady suburban sprawl, changing everything to more of the same. ‘Close to Home’ is a lament for an area of personal significance, and for a community that is disappearing.
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Anne Kurniawati Photojournalism Is Anyone Out There or Am I Just Talking to Myself? Photography is a bridge that connects us to issues that humankind confronts on a daily basis. As a species, we are diverse and complex, embracing some facets of our culture while rejecting others. It is the very notion of understanding the ‘other’, which drives my project. ‘Is Anyone Out There or Am I Just Talking to Myself?’ seeks to give voice to, and bridge the great divide for individuals who endure the lonely journey toward gender transition and self-discovery. I have been fortunate to work collaboratively with Claire and Ennis as they share their stories of loneliness and isolation and to translate the emptiness of the cold, quiet spaces. This project is a reminder that I am part of a society that doesn’t tolerate those who identify as non-binary gender.
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Robert Lang Photojournalism O’Shea Road It’s simply a dusty country road, marked only by an abandoned 60’s fuel station, just off the Warregal Highway. O’Shea Road meanders down through open scrub and ends at an iron gate that bars the way to a tin shed labelled “Equine Services”. This is where I was to document a group of people who are joined by a shared love: from the majesty of the Arabian thoroughbred, to the lowly field horse. Through spending time with these veterinarians and observing their daily practice, I attempted to capture silent internal moments of calm in the field. I documented them in their natural environment because it is here that their true dedication can be seen, always patient, taking notice of the clients concerns, as well as the immediacy of the situation. Over the 18 days I worked with these highly skilled people not one complaint or voiced anger was heard. Photography then becomes the perfect medium to focus on these professionals at work and to capture the genuine care and respect they have for their charges. I can only hope that this project does them justice.
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Anna Lennox Photojournalism anna.lennox@griffithuni.edu.au Do You Even Lift? In today’s society, we are judged largely on our physical appearance, and with ‘fitspiration’ Instragram accounts, blogs and whole websites, it is difficult to remain unaffected by ‘fit’ propaganda. ‘Do You Even Lift’ attempts to inform a broader audience of the hard work and dedication required to achieve the desired chiselled physique valued in competitive bodybuilding. In documenting this industry, my approach has been to undertake location portraits with each participant, and document the routines and rituals of their daily life. This serves to introduce us to the men and women who compete in this life consuming sport and highlight the level of commitment required. This is not a sport one just dabbles in, instead it is all consuming. I hope to inspire a greater appreciation and awe for these dedicated tanned, toned athletes with this body of work.
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David Mines Photojournalism www.davidminesphoto.com Beneath Our Feet Our ever-increasing consumption is creating a legacy that sits largely unnoticed. ‘Beneath Our Feet’ reveals this legacy through juxtaposing pristine environments with the discarded rubbish found within them. Many of these objects will not decompose, are not recyclable, will find their way into the food chain and harm our wildlife. Yet we continue to casually discard our waste. Visiting two idyllic environments I walked from my car to the waters edge documenting the trail of litter. Each piece of rubbish was noted, catalogued and collected; a GPS was used to track distance travelled and the coordinates of each item. It seemed important to accurately convey the extent of our carelessness. Will this be our legacy?
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Denise Schilk Photojournalism www.deniseschilk.com deniseschilk@gmail.com Whispering Scapes Hundreds of thousands of years ago part of the first migration of humans to leave Africa included the Aboriginal people of Australia. What Aboriginal people brought with them to the island continent is said to be the oldest continuing religious belief in the world. With this knowledge and through exploring sites of cultural and spiritual significance, a connection to the past is made. ‘Whispering Scapes’ attempts to give greater presence to what remains of these sites, and seeks to evoke a sense of the deep connections traditional owners have to this land. Talking with elders and members of the community has inspired this work, for without their continual fight to save these sacred places and pass down knowledge, future generations will lose what their ancestors fought and lost their lives for.
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Stacey Schramm Photojournalism stacey.schramm.photo@gmail.com Finding Gwendoline In today’s society, it is not uncommon for younger generations to overlook the aged and the stories they have to share of a life lived. It is often difficult to imagine that our elderly family members and friends were once young. My great grandmother Gwendoline Volter (known as Nanny to our family) turned 100 years of age this year. It is only now as this milestone has been reached that I have begun to grasp the enormity of her life and breadth of experiences. Collaborating with Gwendoline and the family, this work traces the life lived and satisfies my own curiosity and desire to know the woman she is. Knowing that her passing is soon inevitable, the process of making this work also acts as a cathartic device and a means of connecting as a family over the love we share for Gwendoline. By creating this work, I hope to move audiences to consider their own familial connections.
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Alban Vinevel Photojournalism Liminal Suspension I am intrigued about the human condition, the artificial environment and how we interact within it. ‘Liminal Suspension’ seeks to discuss a media saturated world at our fingertips, accessed around the clock through a myriad of platforms, and driven by the human desire to exist in a multitude of spheres. Thumbing on streets, on buses and trains, uniformed rows hunched over their devices in a ritualistic pose, hovering between spaces, if only momentarily. It’s during these moments of suspension at the threshold that interests me. I employ the liminal space of windows extensively throughout this project to render a meaning beyond the physical form and function. The subtext of the window is a device to discuss the convergence of mobile technology within commuter spaces and how this impacts upon social behaviour. This allows an audience to understand the human condition through transforming a seemingly banal space.
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Jessica Woosley Photojournalism www.jessicawoosley.com Beauty tinged with sadness Childhood is ephemeral, fleeting; it refers to much more than the time between birth and maturity. There is a shared understanding that childhood implies a separate and safe space; a sanctuary before the hardships of adulthood. Observing these children I seek to frame this space as I wistfully search for fragments of my childhood. ‘Beauty tinged with sadness’ observes the character of childhood and attempts to reveal it’s fragile nature, while celebrating the joy and tragedy of the human condition. At the moment we discover this sanctified space, our childhood is gone. And with its passing descends a gentle sense of loss and beauty tinged with sadness.
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Athena Zelandonii Photojournalism www.athenazelandonii.com athenaaurora@hotmail.com.au Great Expectations The celebration of the unborn and mother-to-be is a millennia old women’s ritual. But in the post-war years this custom transformed from one based on the transferal of knowledge, to a lavish, gift-giving ceremony. The modern baby shower is a constructed space, bursting with expectations and ideas. There is a presentation of excessive generosity, tables towering with food and gifts, and games to guess the child’s gender, the mother’s circumference, the babies length. It is a party for someone who isn’t there yet. ‘Great Expectations’ is a glimpse into a traditionally female space, challenging notions of inclusiveness, and the commodification of mother, child, and gender.
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Yue Zhao (Elsa Walker) Photojournalism Joy’s Story My documentary work explores the human condition. I use my camera to capture the moments around me. ‘Joy’s Story’ seeks to reveal the love from our past; the memories on which we live. I am interested in the person and the space they inhabit to better describe a life lived.
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Thank You
Blurr Club 2013
Photography Staff and Support 2013
The graduates of 2013 would like to start by acknowledging and thanking all of our dedicated lecturers and tutors. It is an honour and a privilege to have had you as our mentors over the past three years, and your passion and support have been crucial to our development as students and as emerging visual artists. Having such talented practitioners to guide us has been a truly invaluable experience, and from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.
President
Full Time Lecturers
Athena Zelandonii
Mr Earle Bridger Assoc. Professor Marian Drew Mr David Lloyd Mr Peter Wanny Assoc. Professor Jay Younger
The Blurrr Club executive would specifically like to thank Jay Younger, Liz Tyson-Donelly, Carol Marron, Peter Wanny, the dearly departed Jacky Owens, and the efforts and patience of Jacqui Hancox and the team at Liveworm for their contributions of time and energy which have made this catalogue and our exhibition possible. To our sponsors, our sincerest thanks for your support and involvement in the production of this publication. Your generous contributions have allowed us to achieve such a proud and professional finale to our time at university, and a grand entrance into life beyond. A special thank you to the wonderful Sandy Edwards for travelling to open our show, and to Adam Ferguson for his inspirational foreword. And finally, thank you to each and every student graduating this year, for your friendship and support on this journey. Here we are at the end only to find that we are at a beginning. Congratulations on all of your hard work, and we wish you all the very best for the future.
Vice President Anna Gee Treasurer Athena Zelandonii Secretary Anna Gee Catalogue Nikki Hopf (Team Leader) Denise Schilk (Team Leader) Chris Hoopman Sponsorship Fiona Wykes (Team Leader) Carissa Fogarty Marketing Callena Brenchley (Team Leader) Carissa Fogarty Stacey Schramm Eloisa Riley Ashleigh Rundle Hospitality Jacqueline Gith Fundraising Callena Brenchley Shari Lee Hooper Siobhan Harrington Claire Williams Ariel Cameron Heather Fitzpatrick Ashton Worthy Website and Videographer Dante McCoy
Part Time Lecturers Ms Angela Blakely Ms Amy Carkeek Mr Ray Cook Mr Alan Hill Mr Bruce Reynolds Mr Martin Smith Sessional Lecturers and Tutors Ms Michelle Bowden Mr Isaac Brown Ms Renata Buziak Mr Nathan Corum Ms Elise Hilder Mr Charlie Hillhouse Ms Kelly Hussey-Smith Mr Joseph Ruckli Mr Shehab Uddin Support Staff Ms Kate Bernauer Mr Steve Godbold Mr Tony Hamilton Mr Charlie Hillhouse Mr Greg Hoy Ms Emma Leslie Mr Louis Lim Ms Carol Marron Ms Jacky Owens Ms Liz Tyson-Doneley External Assessors Dr Peter Milne Mr Maurice Ortega Mr Kevin Goldwater
Student Awards 2012 David Chatfield
Nina White
Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society (ADFAS) Youth Arts Photography Prize Winner
Staff Award
Presented to a graduating student for artistic merit
Megan Popelier
Presented to a student for significantly adding to the culture of the department
AIPP Photography Business Mentoring Award
Olivia Fredheim Australian Decorative & Fine Arts Society (ADFAS) Youth Arts Photography Prize Runner Up Presented to a graduating student for artistic merit
Caitlin Morgan
Presented to a student with the highest standard of visual and lighting ability
Elizabeth Best John McKay Memorial Award Presented to the graduating student with the highest GPA
Allchromes Award Presented to a graduating student for creative use of angles and available light.
Sarah Osborn
Lindsay Varvari St Aiden’s Award Presented to a graduating documentary student continuing into Honours
APJ Award Presented to a graduating student for the best example of social documentary photography
Libby Best
Dan Mulheran St Margaret’s Award Presented to a graduating documentary student continuing into Honours
Courier Mail Press Award Presented to a graduating student in recognition of excellence in Photojournalism
Matthew Taylor
Rachel Brown Best Image Award from any major (Sun Studios) Presented to a graduating student demonstrating technical and conceptual clarity within the politic of the practiced stream
EXHIBITION 14 – 21 November
Cherie Davies
OPENING NIGHT Thursday 14 November Queensland College of Art Griffith University
Kayell Queensland & RGB Digital Pro Lab Award Presented to a graduating student in recognition of excellence in Creative Advertising
Streets Imaging Award
Madeleine Keinonen Queensland Centre for Photography Award Presented to a graduating student for experimentation and innovation within Photographic Art Practice
Rebecca Zaleski Ted’s Camera Stores Award Presented to a graduating student in recognition of excellence in Portraiture
Bachelor of Photography Graduate Exhibition 2013 Queensland College of Art Griffith University
Presented to a graduating student going on to Honours
PUBLICATION Designed at Liveworm Studio Designer: Ali Newbury Creative Director: David Sargent www.liveworm.com.au Printed by The Buckner Group Cover – 300gsm Sovereign Silk Internals – 150gsm Sovereign Silk Published by Queensland College of Art Griffith University ISBN 978-1-922216-21-2
Proudly sponsored by:
Australian Decorative Fine Arts Society
John McKay Memorial Scholarship