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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

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Animation 1 from the series Hereinbefore, 2012

by Laura Moore

Winner, Macquarie Digital Portraiture Award iD2012
Single channel HD video of stop-motion animation

Animation 1 from the series Hereinbefore, 2012 by Laura Moore. Video length: 1 minute

This self portrait addresses the theme of identity, both of self and society. School photos are a cultural symbol, a rite of passage and a document of our growth and journey into adulthood. Appropriating the style of the familiar school photo, this work subverts what is ordinary to present an alternative truth. As an autobiographical work, it is my reflection on the child I was and tells of the compassion I feel for the journey she will take. In a broader context this work acknowledges the difficulties of travelling from the innocence of childhood to the realities of adulthood. Our school years can be amazing years of self-discovery but are also loaded with pressures and challenges. An animation made of still photos, this digital portrait moves beyond the frozen smiling images of our school portraits to show an element of childhood that is rarely communicated.

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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