WEBVTT

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so without any further ado i'm going to

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pass you over to our host today sandra

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bruce who is our director of collections

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and exhibitions so that she can start

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our panel discussion about lockdown

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experiences across australia as

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illustrated through some of the

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portraits in the living memory

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exhibition

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sandra are you there

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hello robert how are you i'm really well

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thanks how about you oh i'm doing okay

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we're in lockdown now too so we've

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joined our colleagues um and friends

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across the eastern states of australia

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and and many many communities overseas

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as well makes us all feel one part of

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one big thing

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it does it really does

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um

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robert we're not just uh talking to

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people in australia today i'd like to

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very quickly introduce our panel of

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finalists we will have with us today

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suzanne phoenix in melbourne aaron pools

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in melbourne

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james j robinson is coming to us from

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los angeles today and nick stubbings is

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also in melbourne and so

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i love that

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the tradition of the national

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photographic portrait prize speaks to

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all australians no matter where they are

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now um just quickly i'll let you i'll

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let our audience know what we're going

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to do today is i'm going to have some

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one-on-one chats um with each of our

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finalists and then we will as robert

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said break for some questions hopefully

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towards the end

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living memory is what we've decided to

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call the npp this year we're in our 14th

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year

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we knew that coming out of the

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experiences of the last 18 months or so

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that

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what our photographic community was

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going to put forward and be and be

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willing to share with us

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from the experiences of this last period

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were going to be pretty phenomenal and

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they were really going to speak to

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universal

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extraordinary

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experiences

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apologies for my

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photobomb

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that uh

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would really resonate with so many

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people and that's why we decided that if

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if we were really going to throw our

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heart and soul into the entropy this

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year we wanted to make it as what we

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might want to call a special edition so

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living memory rather than having 40 to

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50 finalists has

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79 works in the show

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we did what we could to offer each of

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the finalists a little bit of financial

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support to participate which is

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something that we haven't been able to

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do in the past either

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and really

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when the judges were given the daunting

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task of having to go through more than 3

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000

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entries

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we were right we knew what we what we

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were faced with was the full gamut of

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lived experience over this period the

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big moments the small moments and one of

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those one of those um

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commonalities is absolutely the lockdown

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experience and so that's really what

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we're going to be looking at today

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suzanne i think why don't we have a chat

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first

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it's interesting uh given that our

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judges always look at what's being put

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in front of them image first that um

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you are one of very very few

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photographers who have been able to have

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two of their works as

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um

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as features in one exhibition and so

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what's really interesting to me is it

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kind of speaks to

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the variety of experience that you've

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had through

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going through lockdown in melbourne

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yeah absolutely it was quite a big shock

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to get selected for two um i yeah i just

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firstly like to acknowledge the

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traditional owners of the land of the

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people

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the wonder not doing well there were

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andrew people that's where i live in uh

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right on the edge of metro melbourne out

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in wilberton and um yeah when i we went

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into lockdown and i wasn't able to go

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out and photograph live

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music or do portraits

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or do events or any of those kind of

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things i was going for a daily walk and

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run into a woman who was standing sort

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of in the middle of the road with a

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a chook that was unwell in a tea towel

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and i had a chat with her and took a

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couple of photos of her and then i

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thought well if i could walk somewhere i

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could take photos of people in their

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front yards and that's how the series of

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isolation portraits began

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for me

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and so the work that we've got from that

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series is called wobbly wizards and it's

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it's i would say suggest it's a black

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and white image that kind of surpasses

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the ages in terms of

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the subject

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yes um

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it's it's um someone who was so gerard

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who i came to know through that through

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that portrait and then we went off and

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did a number of different sorts of

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photos together i was living in the bush

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literally um national park in a tent and

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um went and met with him and he we took

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a few photos and then he wanted to go

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into the tent and put on his wizard

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outfit and and with his stick and his

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book that he has a very big book bound

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as a traditional wizards would have and

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he writes poetry and songs in there and

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um yeah we took that photo as he was

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wandering into the bush with his

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three-legged dog

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and so how did you approach um

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uh portraiture for this project was for

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you was it looking at it from a sort of

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a classical formal

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portrait perspective or was it more a

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relaxed

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kind of documentary

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um approach

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yeah there was some restrictions for me

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around they it needed to happen quite

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quickly so i couldn't spend a lot of

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time with people and i couldn't get

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close to them whichever is what i

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normally like to do so it was a

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different approach for me to photograph

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and where i live there's a lot of photos

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that are black and white and um

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sort of historical photos

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and i wanted to

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yeah create those images in the same

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sort of way where um

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they were all black and white and um

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just a really

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kind of as people were there was no

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putting us for posing um

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yeah they were the they were the they

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were the parameters i set from myself i

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think yeah okay so you let you let your

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subjects present themselves how they

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wanted to be presented hence the wizards

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yes absolutely

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now i think if if people were to um look

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at the exhibition on our website and try

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to guess without looking at names what

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your second work would be i don't think

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they'd necessarily pick it basically

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why don't you talk to us a little bit

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about carlos

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jono and lazy susan

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um

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when we went into the next stage of

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lockdown i i did six i did over 60

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households in the first series of

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isolation portraits and then when that

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was shut down for me i was like what on

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earth am i going to do

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um and i really miss

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you know a lot of my community who are

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based in

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more central melbourne and i haven't

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been able to see them for a long time so

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i i

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yeah i had started photographing betty

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grumble who's a

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performer that i've worked with for a

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long time on live chats

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live performances and then i thought

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i'll give it a go and create some

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virtual portraits and

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um through zoom and um yeah i know john

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owen colors and and uh lazy sue they all

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live in the same house together um and

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so over a period i think of three weeks

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i photographed um

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52 artists across victoria who are in

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lockdown in different ways

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wow and so when you're approaching

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something like um

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zoom photography

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how does that how do you approach that

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if you if you're coming from probably

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what would originally be a pretty purest

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perspective on what photography should

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be particularly when you're looking at

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entering a prize for example

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yeah um

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it's a really different way to

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photograph you can't move you can't get

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different light you have to ask the

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person in the setting to to make those

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changes and or just work with what you

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have um

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and you just have to i had to let go of

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you know i don't think i'm a very

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traditional photographer necessarily and

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i don't have a you know i'm not studied

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in

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um photography but i you know have

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certain parameters that you want some

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level of clarity you want you know you

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don't want to have this um computer

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screen you know i don't know fuzz across

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the front i had to become okay with

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those the lack of perfection in those

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images

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yeah yeah absolutely but i mean i think

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it really does speak to

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um the experience doesn't it it's just

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it is all about how we've been viewing

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our nearest and dearest for however long

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now

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can you give us a bit of a hint about

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how carlos jono and lazy susan were

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feeling during that shoot some of the

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some of the conversations that you had

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with them about their experience

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i think um

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so they went on to every portrait i did

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in there like in that series they all

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wrote something about it and so when

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they wrote about it i didn't realize

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they were having such a hard day and

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they wrote that that was one of their

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hardest stage during lockdown at that

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time and robbie talks about all lazy

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susan talks about um

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you know that lockdown or the pandemic

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was actually

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coming

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not really in his in his top ten of

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issues that were happening at the time

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because his mother had just passed so

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there was a lot happening there that i

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didn't even necessarily know about at

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the time and i understand it was very

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challenging to come together and do that

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but they did do it and

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you know and yeah

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amazing that we were able to create that

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image yeah yeah absolutely and i love

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that it speaks to

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people finding their community however

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however they can to help them cope and

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to help them have some sense of normalcy

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and one of the things that i do really

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like about the composition and sorry if

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you see me looking to the side it's

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because i'm eyeball it's eyeballing i'm

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not falling to work while i'm chatting

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but um

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is that carlos and jono have this really

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lovely um

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uh impromptu connection going on behind

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them well behind lazy susan while she's

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just looking at us right down there

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there's a lot going on in there yeah

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there he is there is well thanks suzanne

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i actually think that's a really lovely

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segue to james

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um

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he your work james and hello from

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evening in los angeles your work

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um

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that is in the show kevin at midnight

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that

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i mean that came about through you and

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your flatmates um finding ways to

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entertain yourselves and and lift your

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spirits during lockdown

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yeah absolutely it was a period of us

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trying to entertain ourselves um

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you know i think that when we were

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considering everything that was

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happening at that period uh not only in

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melbourne but obviously around the globe

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is the sense of collective trauma that

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everyone's going through and i think on

00:11:18.319 --> 00:11:22.400
the flip side of that is this really

00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:24.400
beautiful sense of intimacy that we were

00:11:22.400 --> 00:11:26.720
having with all the people in our lives

00:11:24.400 --> 00:11:28.319
um and i think the the relationship that

00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:30.079
i had with kevin particularly living

00:11:28.319 --> 00:11:30.880
with him at that period during lockdown

00:11:30.079 --> 00:11:33.199
was

00:11:30.880 --> 00:11:34.959
just so amplified with a bunch of

00:11:33.199 --> 00:11:37.280
honesty and sincerity because there's no

00:11:34.959 --> 00:11:38.480
way to hide when you're in lockdown

00:11:37.280 --> 00:11:40.559
so um

00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:42.240
yeah yeah that image came about when we

00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:44.640
were messing about one night and i feel

00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:45.919
like you can get a sense of the delirium

00:11:44.640 --> 00:11:46.880
that's happening when we're taking that

00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:49.679
photo

00:11:46.880 --> 00:11:52.640
um but at the same time there was this

00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:53.919
sense of honesty in his expression that

00:11:52.640 --> 00:11:56.320
he gave me which i thought made it a

00:11:53.919 --> 00:11:58.240
particularly great portrait and i think

00:11:56.320 --> 00:12:00.240
that's only a kind of

00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:02.320
sincerity that could have evolved out of

00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:05.520
a period of prolonged intimacy that we

00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:08.240
had um so yeah i think it is a

00:12:05.520 --> 00:12:10.080
really great example of not only the

00:12:08.240 --> 00:12:12.400
night that we had and the

00:12:10.080 --> 00:12:13.760
space that our head was in but also just

00:12:12.400 --> 00:12:15.760
the way that our relationship had

00:12:13.760 --> 00:12:17.360
developed and yeah a whole bunch of

00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:19.039
other things

00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:20.960
yeah and it's i think that works really

00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:23.840
interesting because it is quite layered

00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:25.039
and i think if people didn't have access

00:12:23.840 --> 00:12:26.559
to the artist statement that you were

00:12:25.039 --> 00:12:28.320
kind enough to give us about the work

00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:30.320
they might not necessarily have the same

00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:33.440
reading of it as a

00:12:30.320 --> 00:12:35.760
as a as a composition what do you think

00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:37.440
yeah absolutely i think

00:12:35.760 --> 00:12:39.440
i mean whenever i create anything i

00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:40.640
don't try to think too much about what

00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:42.240
the way that someone's going to receive

00:12:40.640 --> 00:12:44.320
it as i don't think many artists should

00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:45.840
and so i think that it was a great

00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:46.880
opportunity to obviously provide another

00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:47.760
statement but i love that different

00:12:46.880 --> 00:12:49.200
people are going to have different

00:12:47.760 --> 00:12:50.480
readings of it because i'm sure people

00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:52.799
are going to connect to it in different

00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:56.799
ways whatever that that might be

00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:58.240
yeah yeah absolutely now you you're a um

00:12:56.799 --> 00:13:00.240
professional photographer aren't you

00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:01.039
james and i wanted to talk a little bit

00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:02.080
about

00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:04.240
a

00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:05.600
project or a brief that you were given a

00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:07.520
commission that you were given during

00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:09.600
lockdown which meant that you had to

00:13:07.520 --> 00:13:11.440
work through i think the medium of

00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:13.679
online access to

00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:14.880
subjects via zoom or other mediums

00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:17.520
didn't you

00:13:14.880 --> 00:13:18.880
i did yes just like suzanne um

00:13:17.520 --> 00:13:20.320
beautiful photo by the way suzanne i

00:13:18.880 --> 00:13:23.120
love it um

00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:27.200
i was given this brief to photograph the

00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:29.120
um russian annex group [ __ ] riot um

00:13:27.200 --> 00:13:31.520
and i'm a really big fan of their work

00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:33.520
politically and sonically and

00:13:31.520 --> 00:13:35.679
aesthetically and everything and

00:13:33.520 --> 00:13:37.600
so it was definitely exciting i mean as

00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:38.880
i mentioned before the idea of the whole

00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:40.960
world going through this collective

00:13:38.880 --> 00:13:42.320
moment together when i had to photograph

00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:44.480
these artists you know there was one in

00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.760
barcelona there was one in mexico city

00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:48.000
there was someone somewhere in south

00:13:45.760 --> 00:13:50.480
america yeah which city um and some

00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:52.720
places in in america and there was this

00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:54.559
really beautiful sense of doing a zoom

00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:57.039
call is just especially in someone's

00:13:54.559 --> 00:13:58.720
house it just means that you are given

00:13:57.039 --> 00:14:00.960
this sense of intimacy that you don't

00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:02.400
get when you're on a set and you have a

00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:04.400
whole bunch of crew around you and you

00:14:02.400 --> 00:14:05.679
have this creative concept and you know

00:14:04.400 --> 00:14:07.039
you've got assistance and all these

00:14:05.679 --> 00:14:09.200
things which is generally the kind of

00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:11.360
work that i do um

00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:13.760
and so to be given this like one

00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:15.280
specific perspective into people's lives

00:14:13.760 --> 00:14:17.440
all around the world was just something

00:14:15.280 --> 00:14:18.720
that i'm really grateful to have had and

00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.320
you know like i

00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:22.400
one particularly beautiful thing was

00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:24.159
that i was hearing people's partners or

00:14:22.400 --> 00:14:26.080
their family members from behind the

00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:27.600
camera telling them no put the light

00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:29.039
there or like no you look a bit weird

00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:31.919
like do this and

00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:33.520
the idea of me just like getting to see

00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:36.159
that kind of

00:14:33.520 --> 00:14:37.520
sincere relationship between two people

00:14:36.159 --> 00:14:39.679
especially like through a computer

00:14:37.520 --> 00:14:42.000
screen all around the world while i was

00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:44.080
alone at home was just so it was really

00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.679
really incredible and so i think that

00:14:44.080 --> 00:14:47.679
even though photographing kevin in this

00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:49.760
really organic way on film and

00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:52.000
photographing [ __ ] ride all around the

00:14:49.760 --> 00:14:54.240
world online seem like very disparate

00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:56.400
ways of creating artwork i think that

00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:59.280
they're very much unified by this this

00:14:56.400 --> 00:15:02.720
sincerity and that intimacy

00:14:59.280 --> 00:15:04.240
yeah and also also people in in the in

00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:05.760
their shared intimate space is

00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:07.280
supporting each other

00:15:05.760 --> 00:15:09.840
and then you've ended up with these

00:15:07.280 --> 00:15:10.559
really amazing outcomes you converted

00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:12.799
the

00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:14.640
or you you created the shots for [ __ ]

00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:16.559
right on 35 mil didn't you even though

00:15:14.640 --> 00:15:18.400
it was over computer

00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:21.200
yeah i did i mean um i was trying to

00:15:18.400 --> 00:15:22.559
find a way to to make the zoom photo a

00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:24.480
little bit more interesting and a bit

00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:26.000
more in line with my work but i guess

00:15:24.480 --> 00:15:27.280
one of the main things is that i had

00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:29.200
gone through this period in lock down

00:15:27.280 --> 00:15:31.440
like so many people had of just spending

00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:32.880
so much time on my screen

00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:34.480
and so the idea of being able to

00:15:32.880 --> 00:15:35.840
transfer these images that we create on

00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:38.320
the screen into something that was

00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:39.679
analog i think just suited the context

00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:41.679
of shooting people in their homes a

00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:43.520
little bit better and you know the the

00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:44.960
grain and the colors and the the homey

00:15:43.520 --> 00:15:46.720
feel that you can get by shooting an

00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:49.039
analog medium i think just much better

00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:51.200
matches that intimacy and so

00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:53.360
i guess my reasoning behind

00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:55.840
transferring those digital images onto

00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:59.280
film for me was just to try and bring

00:15:55.840 --> 00:16:01.200
out and outline all these different

00:15:59.280 --> 00:16:03.120
intimacies that i had captured by being

00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:06.400
allowed into people's homes

00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:08.400
yeah yeah well fantastic thank you james

00:16:06.400 --> 00:16:12.320
i might cut to aaron

00:16:08.400 --> 00:16:13.679
now aaron you um with your portrait of

00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:16.400
mike lowe

00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:17.919
you're not looking at um the closed in

00:16:16.400 --> 00:16:18.799
lockdown experience you're looking at

00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:21.679
what happens when you have the

00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:24.799
opportunity to escape it aren't you

00:16:21.679 --> 00:16:28.480
yeah exactly right um so this shot was

00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:30.480
taken november last year um and that was

00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:33.120
a week after our restrictions east

00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:34.320
enough for us to be able to get out of

00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:36.640
um

00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:38.080
out of the city out of melbourne um and

00:16:36.640 --> 00:16:40.400
i would just like to quickly acknowledge

00:16:38.080 --> 00:16:42.400
like suzanne did the warranty

00:16:40.400 --> 00:16:44.000
uh traditional owners and custodians of

00:16:42.400 --> 00:16:45.440
the land here where i'm

00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:47.200
calling from today

00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:49.679
but um

00:16:47.200 --> 00:16:51.280
yeah so we uh within my my friendship

00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:54.000
group there's sort of 10 or 15 people

00:16:51.280 --> 00:16:56.159
that um we have this yearly pilgrimage

00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:57.520
to to lake eldon where you get get on

00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:59.360
the houseboat and just get around each

00:16:57.520 --> 00:17:01.520
other for for a week

00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:02.480
for a weekend i wish it was a week

00:17:01.520 --> 00:17:03.840
um

00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:05.520
and we look forward to this every year

00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:07.039
but we call it sadfest because it

00:17:05.520 --> 00:17:08.799
started from

00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:10.799
you know like a lot of great stuff i

00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:11.919
guess started from from adversity like

00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.919
one of our friends was going through a

00:17:11.919 --> 00:17:15.760
really rough time and um you know the

00:17:13.919 --> 00:17:17.039
idea was spawned to do this houseboat

00:17:15.760 --> 00:17:18.799
weekend

00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:20.960
and every year there's there's some

00:17:18.799 --> 00:17:21.760
reason to continue to call it sadfest so

00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:24.000
um

00:17:21.760 --> 00:17:26.880
it's sort of stuck but this year we had

00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:28.880
um obviously the pandemic uh all around

00:17:26.880 --> 00:17:30.559
us and then um

00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:33.280
also one of our friends who was on the

00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:36.240
trip the year previously um

00:17:33.280 --> 00:17:38.960
passed during the year um suddenly so we

00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:40.559
had um double double reasons to be sad

00:17:38.960 --> 00:17:42.559
for this side first

00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:44.240
um

00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:45.200
and just to give a bit of context

00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.600
because it was a really dark and

00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:48.840
mysterious image it was shot on on lake

00:17:47.600 --> 00:17:51.600
yielden and

00:17:48.840 --> 00:17:53.760
um uh people probably know famously like

00:17:51.600 --> 00:17:56.159
it wouldn't from the castle uh bonnie

00:17:53.760 --> 00:17:58.640
doon is on the shores of illidan so

00:17:56.159 --> 00:18:01.039
how's the serenity and yes that's right

00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:03.679
all that um and you know universally

00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:04.880
loved film and um further bolstering the

00:18:03.679 --> 00:18:08.400
sort of

00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:11.120
cultural capital um of this lake is uh

00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:13.200
1989 aussie slasher film

00:18:11.120 --> 00:18:14.960
um houseboat horror which is

00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:16.640
widely regarded as one of australia's

00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:18.240
worst ever

00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:19.440
um so check that out if you can find

00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:21.039
anywhere yeah it sounds like something

00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:22.480
i'm missing out and i've got to catch up

00:18:21.039 --> 00:18:24.159
on so does that

00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:27.520
does that mean um

00:18:24.159 --> 00:18:29.200
that this shot was at night um

00:18:27.520 --> 00:18:30.960
i mean it had to it had to have been

00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:33.600
right to capture what you captured

00:18:30.960 --> 00:18:35.200
no so um yeah thanks for asking so what

00:18:33.600 --> 00:18:37.679
was happening was it was

00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.960
the last dying rays of the day and so

00:18:37.679 --> 00:18:39.760
you know they're coming in sideways and

00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:41.520
just

00:18:39.760 --> 00:18:43.520
somehow just sort of missing the lake

00:18:41.520 --> 00:18:46.000
almost and just kissing across

00:18:43.520 --> 00:18:47.440
mike who was um who was on the lilo and

00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:51.120
so

00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:52.480
i was uh on the shore like

00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:53.440
basically there was a there was a lot of

00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:55.279
um

00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:56.720
you know we all got together when we got

00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:57.919
there and had a few drinks but there was

00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:59.919
a lot of

00:18:57.919 --> 00:19:01.120
uh sort of social exhaustion happened

00:18:59.919 --> 00:19:02.799
pretty quick because we've been in three

00:19:01.120 --> 00:19:04.640
months of the hardest one of the hardest

00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:06.080
lockdowns in the world leading up to

00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.600
this so

00:19:06.080 --> 00:19:08.960
even just sitting around with all your

00:19:07.600 --> 00:19:10.400
best friends chatting for for a few

00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.760
hours having drinks we're all sort of

00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:14.000
everyone had to take their time out so

00:19:11.760 --> 00:19:16.000
everyone split up and i was walking the

00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:17.679
shore with my camera and michael's on

00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:19.200
his lilo in the middle of the lake

00:19:17.679 --> 00:19:21.120
and the dying light of the day is kind

00:19:19.200 --> 00:19:24.159
of coming across so

00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:26.320
um and perhaps you know boosted by our

00:19:24.159 --> 00:19:28.320
lock down tans to get the exposure right

00:19:26.320 --> 00:19:30.480
on my basically plunged everything else

00:19:28.320 --> 00:19:32.559
into darkness and i just

00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:34.480
on the back of my camera i was like wow

00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:36.000
this is this is powerful you can see you

00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:38.080
know for me the

00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:40.159
analogy of the pandemic being the

00:19:38.080 --> 00:19:41.360
darkness all around you and the unknown

00:19:40.159 --> 00:19:45.039
and

00:19:41.360 --> 00:19:46.400
um the sort of classic trope in in um i

00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:48.000
take a lot of inspiration from cinema

00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:50.159
and the classic trope of

00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:51.679
you know in horror and thrillers of the

00:19:50.159 --> 00:19:53.279
lake and

00:19:51.679 --> 00:19:54.880
you know the sort of duality of it that

00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:56.720
it's it's

00:19:54.880 --> 00:19:58.640
so close and it's so where we all get

00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:00.000
together but it's also so unknowable and

00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:01.360
it's sort of

00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.000
where you can

00:20:01.360 --> 00:20:06.799
you know wash away your sins or or hide

00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:09.520
your sins in the lake or whatever so

00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:11.200
um for me the darkness and the lake just

00:20:09.520 --> 00:20:13.840
you know the duality of that contrast

00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:16.240
against mike's um you know his

00:20:13.840 --> 00:20:18.400
pastel bodies and his beer uh the sort

00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:20.559
of horror slash

00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:22.880
uh comedy of the whole scene i thought

00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:24.480
was was powerful oh yeah there's an

00:20:22.880 --> 00:20:27.360
absolute sort of cheekiness isn't there

00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:30.000
to the to the palette of

00:20:27.360 --> 00:20:32.240
of mike including the lilo including the

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:35.200
beer including his bodies and so

00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:37.600
yeah it's it i was saying when we caught

00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:39.760
up briefly before we um came out to

00:20:37.600 --> 00:20:42.080
speak to everybody today i was saying

00:20:39.760 --> 00:20:44.159
that when you can see the work in the

00:20:42.080 --> 00:20:46.240
flesh you do get a hint of some of that

00:20:44.159 --> 00:20:48.799
background landscape but ultimately it

00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:49.760
is this pitch black almost void

00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:52.240
that

00:20:49.760 --> 00:20:54.159
mike's floating in and having a lovely

00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:56.080
time doing it you know it's

00:20:54.159 --> 00:20:58.000
yeah well i mean that's that's part of

00:20:56.080 --> 00:21:00.640
the strength where he was probably in

00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:02.320
you know a state of bliss i think at the

00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:04.840
time and then you know to be surrounded

00:21:02.320 --> 00:21:06.880
by so much unknown

00:21:04.840 --> 00:21:08.159
um but yeah i do hope that people are

00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:10.240
getting the chance to go see the print

00:21:08.159 --> 00:21:12.400
because you do you know there's a lot of

00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:14.880
effort go into to finding out this black

00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:16.799
level so you can subtly

00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:18.400
make out the context and i think if you

00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:20.960
know sometimes if you see that stuff on

00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:22.799
screen it's over contrasty from from

00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:25.440
digital sources so

00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:27.120
um it loses a little bit of that perhaps

00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:29.120
if i need to view digitally so hopefully

00:21:27.120 --> 00:21:30.960
everyone gets over the camera soon yes

00:21:29.120 --> 00:21:32.320
oh thank you so much aaron i'm feeling

00:21:30.960 --> 00:21:34.320
really guilty i forgot to make an

00:21:32.320 --> 00:21:36.240
announcement at the top of this um

00:21:34.320 --> 00:21:38.640
conversation and that is that

00:21:36.240 --> 00:21:40.960
we've decided to extend the exhibition

00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:43.120
we'll be running it through now until

00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:44.480
the 16th of january which is an

00:21:43.120 --> 00:21:45.840
extensive

00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:48.240
um

00:21:45.840 --> 00:21:49.440
run however we're still in lockdown in

00:21:48.240 --> 00:21:51.679
canberra and we don't know when we'll be

00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:53.120
coming out either and so any opportunity

00:21:51.679 --> 00:21:54.720
we can give

00:21:53.120 --> 00:21:55.840
our communities to hopefully come to

00:21:54.720 --> 00:21:58.399
canberra and have a look at the show

00:21:55.840 --> 00:21:59.919
we're going to grasp it so

00:21:58.399 --> 00:22:02.080
fingers crossed i don't know about you

00:21:59.919 --> 00:22:03.279
james unfortunately but um you know i

00:22:02.080 --> 00:22:04.880
don't know how the flights will be going

00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:05.760
from la but fingers crossed you never

00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:09.520
know

00:22:05.760 --> 00:22:11.520
now nick i wanted to cross to you now

00:22:09.520 --> 00:22:12.399
um

00:22:11.520 --> 00:22:13.840
i

00:22:12.399 --> 00:22:15.679
would you you wouldn't would you

00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:18.880
describe yourself i guess as an amateur

00:22:15.679 --> 00:22:21.039
photographer uh yeah so i mostly just

00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:24.080
play around with photography i'm a

00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:25.360
primary school teacher by trade so

00:22:24.080 --> 00:22:26.880
instead of calling them lockdowns i

00:22:25.360 --> 00:22:28.640
probably call them remote learning

00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:32.000
periods yes

00:22:28.640 --> 00:22:34.320
and so i mean

00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:38.880
i think your work bubble which is of

00:22:34.320 --> 00:22:41.840
your lovely uh new child hadley um

00:22:38.880 --> 00:22:45.120
is probably a quintessential capture of

00:22:41.840 --> 00:22:47.279
what new parents and um

00:22:45.120 --> 00:22:49.039
nuclear families have been going through

00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:52.240
any time that they've been told that

00:22:49.039 --> 00:22:55.200
they're having to live within a bubble

00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:57.440
isn't it yeah so i mean

00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:59.520
the experience of the last 12 to 18

00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:00.640
months there's been a lot of uh quiet

00:22:59.520 --> 00:23:01.760
moments

00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:05.039
um

00:23:01.760 --> 00:23:07.919
so during the first lockdown it was when

00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:10.559
we were waiting for hadley to arrive and

00:23:07.919 --> 00:23:12.480
those sort of moments at home

00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:13.840
and then the second lockdown

00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:16.000
um was

00:23:13.840 --> 00:23:18.720
when hadley was a a

00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:19.600
baby a newborn and been able to

00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:22.320
help

00:23:19.600 --> 00:23:23.679
uh in those stages uh doing remote

00:23:22.320 --> 00:23:25.039
learning from home

00:23:23.679 --> 00:23:26.480
if i hadn't been in the classroom that

00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:29.279
wouldn't have happened

00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:32.480
and then when this uh photo was taken of

00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:33.520
hadley was in the third lockdown

00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:35.760
um

00:23:33.520 --> 00:23:37.279
so yeah it was just that afternoon i'd

00:23:35.760 --> 00:23:38.880
finished for the day we're just playing

00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:41.360
with some bubbles in

00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:43.200
hadley's bedroom so it's those sort of

00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:45.200
little moments that

00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:46.080
all parents go through it was just i

00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:48.159
guess

00:23:46.080 --> 00:23:50.080
magnified by the fact that we weren't

00:23:48.159 --> 00:23:53.039
leaving home

00:23:50.080 --> 00:23:54.960
yeah and um taking taking all of the

00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.399
joys that you would normally have i

00:23:54.960 --> 00:23:58.159
think with um

00:23:56.399 --> 00:24:01.039
having fun with the new member of the

00:23:58.159 --> 00:24:03.120
family but with this added sort of

00:24:01.039 --> 00:24:05.039
layer of knowing that um you can't go to

00:24:03.120 --> 00:24:06.640
the park you can't you know you can't go

00:24:05.039 --> 00:24:09.760
down to the shops all of that kind of

00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:11.840
thing yeah definitely so my soju in

00:24:09.760 --> 00:24:14.399
there

00:24:11.840 --> 00:24:16.480
so so we're in the sixth time of remote

00:24:14.399 --> 00:24:18.880
landing this time so during the second

00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:20.240
one my my own mum saw hadley when she

00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:21.760
was three weeks old and then the next

00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.600
time she saw her was when she was six

00:24:21.760 --> 00:24:25.840
months old so

00:24:23.600 --> 00:24:28.559
a lot of the times i spent just the

00:24:25.840 --> 00:24:31.039
three of us so yeah i mean hadley won't

00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:33.600
remember this time she'll hopefully just

00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:34.559
remember a loving family

00:24:33.600 --> 00:24:37.039
yeah

00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:39.840
now i'm really i was really interested

00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:42.480
to learn that even um

00:24:39.840 --> 00:24:44.000
while while you take photographs purely

00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:45.679
because you enjoy taking photographs

00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:48.799
this was not a fluke was it this

00:24:45.679 --> 00:24:51.200
particular shot no so it was taken in

00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:53.360
hadley's bedroom um

00:24:51.200 --> 00:24:56.000
and it was towards the end of the day it

00:24:53.360 --> 00:24:57.919
was sort of around four or five o'clock

00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:59.200
um after i'd finished my

00:24:57.919 --> 00:25:01.120
teaching and

00:24:59.200 --> 00:25:04.000
yeah we're just playing with the bubbles

00:25:01.120 --> 00:25:06.320
and the the light was coming through uh

00:25:04.000 --> 00:25:07.840
the windows so yeah and i could see how

00:25:06.320 --> 00:25:09.039
the light was hitting the bubbles and i

00:25:07.840 --> 00:25:10.559
was just playing around with different

00:25:09.039 --> 00:25:11.679
angles and

00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:14.320
um

00:25:11.679 --> 00:25:17.200
getting quite close

00:25:14.320 --> 00:25:18.640
in so using quite a wide angle on might

00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:20.000
it was actually just taking them on my

00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:21.200
camera phone

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:23.760
um

00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:25.919
uh yeah just having having a play trying

00:25:23.760 --> 00:25:27.440
to be in the moment as well because

00:25:25.919 --> 00:25:30.840
quite often when you're taking photos

00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:33.840
sort of you're outside the moment so

00:25:30.840 --> 00:25:35.519
yeah and so how did what made you decide

00:25:33.840 --> 00:25:37.279
to enter it into

00:25:35.519 --> 00:25:39.840
the national photographic portrait prize

00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:42.640
um when i found out the themes of living

00:25:39.840 --> 00:25:45.200
memory i felt that i had an image that

00:25:42.640 --> 00:25:48.559
sort of captured my own experiences

00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:50.159
as a new parent um that's

00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:52.159
definitely a unique experience that

00:25:50.159 --> 00:25:53.279
we've all been through in the last 18

00:25:52.159 --> 00:25:55.840
months

00:25:53.279 --> 00:25:57.760
um being yeah being a new parent and not

00:25:55.840 --> 00:25:59.919
being able to see family members seeing

00:25:57.760 --> 00:26:02.320
them over the over zoom or over the

00:25:59.919 --> 00:26:05.039
screen and those sorts of experiences

00:26:02.320 --> 00:26:06.000
and just i guess the closeness of our

00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:07.760
family

00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:10.480
yeah yeah

00:26:07.760 --> 00:26:11.679
um i think um thank you so much nick i

00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:14.640
really appreciate it and i love that

00:26:11.679 --> 00:26:15.760
we've been able to talk to um

00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:18.640
finalists

00:26:15.760 --> 00:26:20.000
today that are coming at the medium of

00:26:18.640 --> 00:26:22.480
photography from all different sort of

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.480
perspectives and experiences

00:26:22.480 --> 00:26:26.960
your work particularly i think links

00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:26.960
back to

00:26:27.200 --> 00:26:32.320
a work that suzanne has mentioned by

00:26:30.080 --> 00:26:34.320
another finalist in the show that really

00:26:32.320 --> 00:26:36.480
resonated for her

00:26:34.320 --> 00:26:39.600
and that was hannah bobby and mike are

00:26:36.480 --> 00:26:41.360
in the living room by um lisa

00:26:39.600 --> 00:26:43.440
saw guinea

00:26:41.360 --> 00:26:46.159
suzanne what was it about that work that

00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:47.279
really drew you

00:26:46.159 --> 00:26:49.919
um

00:26:47.279 --> 00:26:52.559
i really became fascinated by lisa's

00:26:49.919 --> 00:26:54.480
series through lockdown and i'd never

00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:56.000
seen her work before but it's just so

00:26:54.480 --> 00:26:58.559
unusual in the color palette it's

00:26:56.000 --> 00:27:00.880
beautiful and the lighting and just

00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:02.159
seeing the mothers and children behind

00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:04.159
glass

00:27:02.159 --> 00:27:05.679
yeah i just became really captivated by

00:27:04.159 --> 00:27:08.000
that work during that time very

00:27:05.679 --> 00:27:10.399
different to my own existence but just

00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:11.519
such so beautiful and really emotive

00:27:10.399 --> 00:27:13.200
moments

00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:15.919
yeah absolutely

00:27:13.200 --> 00:27:17.760
um nick given that it's it's another

00:27:15.919 --> 00:27:20.240
look at another

00:27:17.760 --> 00:27:21.360
another young family's experience during

00:27:20.240 --> 00:27:23.679
lockdown

00:27:21.360 --> 00:27:26.480
what were your thoughts on lisa's work

00:27:23.679 --> 00:27:28.240
um i think just the the quiet moments

00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:30.799
you can see there's quite a lot of just

00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:33.039
lying around with your new family i'm

00:27:30.799 --> 00:27:34.640
not sure whether they're twins or or

00:27:33.039 --> 00:27:36.799
what they're the

00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:38.799
the biggest story behind it is but yeah

00:27:36.799 --> 00:27:40.960
definitely spoke to me about the i guess

00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:43.360
the quiet moments that he experienced as

00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:46.080
a new parent i guess it's

00:27:43.360 --> 00:27:48.080
magnified by not being able to go out

00:27:46.080 --> 00:27:49.760
go to the parks things like that

00:27:48.080 --> 00:27:51.279
yeah and it's interesting isn't it

00:27:49.760 --> 00:27:54.000
because um

00:27:51.279 --> 00:27:56.080
this work by lisa it is capturing

00:27:54.000 --> 00:27:58.720
mum and kids through the glass through

00:27:56.080 --> 00:28:00.399
the window of the house and we've got a

00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:02.960
couple of works that speak to that

00:28:00.399 --> 00:28:05.360
particular um experience in the

00:28:02.960 --> 00:28:07.279
exhibition but it's another it's another

00:28:05.360 --> 00:28:09.200
one of those locked down barriers that

00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:11.840
we're having to contend with and

00:28:09.200 --> 00:28:11.840
navigate

00:28:12.399 --> 00:28:17.840
um aaron did you uh i think yours that

00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:20.000
um you wanted to have a quick chat about

00:28:17.840 --> 00:28:22.399
was the great conjunction by rj poole

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.800
wasn't it another work that involves

00:28:22.399 --> 00:28:26.399
someone and water

00:28:24.800 --> 00:28:29.200
yeah um

00:28:26.399 --> 00:28:31.119
i would love to congratulate rj paul for

00:28:29.200 --> 00:28:32.560
that um you know when i first looked

00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:33.440
through the finalists that was the one

00:28:32.560 --> 00:28:36.720
that

00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:38.639
grabbed me straight away um so

00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:41.359
some parallels to my shop with this sort

00:28:38.639 --> 00:28:42.560
of the the dark unknown of the lake but

00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:44.240
um i think

00:28:42.560 --> 00:28:47.280
in um

00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:48.800
in in the great conjunction it's just so

00:28:47.280 --> 00:28:50.560
confronting and powerful the

00:28:48.800 --> 00:28:51.919
photographers is sort of an active

00:28:50.560 --> 00:28:54.079
participant in it because it's so

00:28:51.919 --> 00:28:56.240
intimate and then close with the the

00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:57.760
subject whereas mine is sort of really

00:28:56.240 --> 00:29:00.399
from afar and

00:28:57.760 --> 00:29:02.960
um passive uh my my influence on it was

00:29:00.399 --> 00:29:04.480
so passive so um

00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:06.800
i for me

00:29:04.480 --> 00:29:09.200
the the shot of the exhibition i just

00:29:06.800 --> 00:29:10.560
love it yeah it was recognized by the

00:29:09.200 --> 00:29:12.720
judges too

00:29:10.560 --> 00:29:14.560
in terms of being noted as a distinctive

00:29:12.720 --> 00:29:16.720
work it's interesting isn't it because

00:29:14.560 --> 00:29:18.320
there's that that sense of um the

00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:19.680
sinister that we get a little bit of

00:29:18.320 --> 00:29:21.599
your work i think certainly comes

00:29:19.680 --> 00:29:24.960
through in a much more strong

00:29:21.599 --> 00:29:26.800
and and sort of robust way in rj's

00:29:24.960 --> 00:29:29.280
yeah absolutely and i'm going to take

00:29:26.800 --> 00:29:32.960
some inspiration from that i think is um

00:29:29.280 --> 00:29:32.960
yeah thanks thanks again i do

00:29:33.040 --> 00:29:37.760
um all right well look i think robert

00:29:35.280 --> 00:29:39.119
should we see if we've got um some

00:29:37.760 --> 00:29:40.960
questions coming through how about we

00:29:39.119 --> 00:29:42.720
have a bit of a

00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:45.599
chat

00:29:42.720 --> 00:29:48.320
yeah thanks sandra um we don't have a

00:29:45.599 --> 00:29:50.400
barrage of questions at this stage

00:29:48.320 --> 00:29:54.640
however we've got a couple um there was

00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:56.079
a question from facebook for james um

00:29:54.640 --> 00:29:57.920
the intimacy

00:29:56.079 --> 00:30:00.800
intimacy that you speak of with your

00:29:57.920 --> 00:30:03.839
subjects were you also able to capture

00:30:00.800 --> 00:30:03.839
these stories

00:30:04.160 --> 00:30:07.839
yeah um

00:30:05.599 --> 00:30:09.920
i mean i think it's difficult to

00:30:07.839 --> 00:30:11.599
capture anyone in any kind of intimate

00:30:09.920 --> 00:30:13.040
setting because

00:30:11.599 --> 00:30:14.640
you know we're always people who are

00:30:13.040 --> 00:30:16.800
presenting ourselves with particular

00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:18.160
masks or however we choose to present

00:30:16.800 --> 00:30:20.640
ourselves to the public and to other

00:30:18.160 --> 00:30:22.400
people and i think that lockdown was

00:30:20.640 --> 00:30:24.160
just this period where i was i guess

00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:26.160
kind of lucky enough to be living with

00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:28.880
people who are happy to let down those

00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:30.079
guards um so yeah i think that that

00:30:28.880 --> 00:30:32.560
intimacy was something that was

00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:34.880
presented to me very easily by living

00:30:32.560 --> 00:30:36.800
along with kevin and living with anyone

00:30:34.880 --> 00:30:38.960
who anyone was living with i assume this

00:30:36.800 --> 00:30:40.720
was definitely a period where

00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:41.760
those

00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:43.760
social

00:30:41.760 --> 00:30:45.760
cues that you have all these social

00:30:43.760 --> 00:30:46.800
performances that you put on were just

00:30:45.760 --> 00:30:49.680
definitely

00:30:46.800 --> 00:30:51.359
taken back a couple notches after being

00:30:49.680 --> 00:30:54.599
so close in intimate quarters with so

00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:54.599
many people

00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:00.160
yeah there was a another question from

00:30:56.960 --> 00:31:01.839
kirsten and zoom uh for suzanne and you

00:31:00.160 --> 00:31:03.760
probably explored a little bit of this

00:31:01.839 --> 00:31:04.720
but you might want to expand how have

00:31:03.760 --> 00:31:07.200
the new

00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:10.880
lockdown constraints that we've all been

00:31:07.200 --> 00:31:12.720
experiencing changed your work

00:31:10.880 --> 00:31:15.760
the new ones as in recently you think

00:31:12.720 --> 00:31:18.079
all the whole period we're talking

00:31:15.760 --> 00:31:19.760
that's a good question but

00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:22.560
i think you made you were making

00:31:19.760 --> 00:31:24.320
reference to the um the lockdown

00:31:22.560 --> 00:31:25.920
constraints that you were facing at that

00:31:24.320 --> 00:31:28.720
stage

00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:31.040
so maybe it refers to that yeah i mean

00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:33.119
it completely changed how i worked as a

00:31:31.040 --> 00:31:34.320
photographer um

00:31:33.119 --> 00:31:35.760
and i

00:31:34.320 --> 00:31:38.079
you know and then we had periods where

00:31:35.760 --> 00:31:40.240
we came out of lockdown like um aaron

00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:42.079
talked about as well i think just um and

00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:44.079
what we actually went and chose to do

00:31:42.079 --> 00:31:45.200
them are really different um i think i

00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:47.119
see things

00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:49.200
through different eyes now as well when

00:31:47.119 --> 00:31:52.240
i do get to do those and now we're back

00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:54.480
in it again and you know i i don't know

00:31:52.240 --> 00:31:56.000
it's how you i've actually got reached

00:31:54.480 --> 00:31:57.839
out to those artists in residence again

00:31:56.000 --> 00:32:00.079
to see if they want to

00:31:57.839 --> 00:32:03.280
do anything else or reflect on that last

00:32:00.079 --> 00:32:04.560
year because um it's

00:32:03.280 --> 00:32:06.160
you know and knowing not everyone will

00:32:04.560 --> 00:32:07.839
want to because it's even harder now

00:32:06.160 --> 00:32:09.520
than it was before but it's very much

00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:11.440
changed mr photographer i have no idea

00:32:09.520 --> 00:32:13.520
who i am anymore basically is how i feel

00:32:11.440 --> 00:32:15.200
about it

00:32:13.520 --> 00:32:17.680
it's interesting isn't it i think we all

00:32:15.200 --> 00:32:20.560
had a sense of optimism leading into

00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:22.480
2021 and unfortunately with um the way

00:32:20.560 --> 00:32:24.000
things have gone we that hasn't been

00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:25.520
borne out and so we're having to find

00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:27.180
even more resilience than we thought we

00:32:25.520 --> 00:32:29.760
had last year

00:32:27.180 --> 00:32:31.760
[Music]

00:32:29.760 --> 00:32:33.200
um i've got one that's just coming from

00:32:31.760 --> 00:32:36.240
facebook

00:32:33.200 --> 00:32:38.400
um could you talk about the gap between

00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:40.320
intimacy and loss

00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:41.920
in this time in your works

00:32:40.320 --> 00:32:43.040
particularly since we're in lockdown

00:32:41.920 --> 00:32:45.200
again

00:32:43.040 --> 00:32:46.800
how does an audience experience these

00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:48.160
works now

00:32:46.800 --> 00:32:50.640
and that's not directed to any one

00:32:48.160 --> 00:32:54.400
particular panelist that's um but the

00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:54.400
gap between intimacy and loss

00:32:55.040 --> 00:33:00.640
does anyone want to have a tackle

00:32:58.320 --> 00:33:03.280
i'm scrolling through lots of questions

00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:05.280
i can jump in about the intimacy thing i

00:33:03.280 --> 00:33:06.320
i think that actually through doing

00:33:05.280 --> 00:33:08.480
virtual portraits you have an

00:33:06.320 --> 00:33:09.920
opportunity to have some great intimacy

00:33:08.480 --> 00:33:12.480
that you wouldn't have had otherwise

00:33:09.920 --> 00:33:14.240
because it's one-on-one you're in a room

00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:16.800
quite room by yourself they're in a

00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:18.320
quiet room by yourself and a lot of the

00:33:16.800 --> 00:33:19.839
portraits that i talk i actually got to

00:33:18.320 --> 00:33:20.800
have conversations that went on for an

00:33:19.839 --> 00:33:22.720
hour and a half but i would never

00:33:20.800 --> 00:33:24.320
normally have an every day especially in

00:33:22.720 --> 00:33:27.040
the queer community where so much of it

00:33:24.320 --> 00:33:28.800
is passing conversations at events or

00:33:27.040 --> 00:33:30.880
you know in really

00:33:28.800 --> 00:33:32.160
loud spaces and dark loud and dark

00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:33.520
spaces where you don't really get to

00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:35.359
have a lot of those

00:33:33.520 --> 00:33:38.240
more in-depth conversations the last

00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:38.240
aspect i'm not sure

00:33:39.760 --> 00:33:43.760
yeah i think um one thing that that

00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:45.839
question reminds me of is there's this

00:33:43.760 --> 00:33:48.079
really beautiful quote by this

00:33:45.839 --> 00:33:50.800
russian poet alexander block and he says

00:33:48.079 --> 00:33:54.160
that the poet's job is to

00:33:50.800 --> 00:33:55.839
capture a sense of harmony in chaos and

00:33:54.160 --> 00:33:59.040
i think that that's one thing that every

00:33:55.839 --> 00:34:00.800
single image here in the living memory

00:33:59.040 --> 00:34:02.800
portrait series captured is that we were

00:34:00.800 --> 00:34:04.800
living through this time of chaos and

00:34:02.800 --> 00:34:05.680
everyone managed to capture in in this

00:34:04.800 --> 00:34:07.040
little

00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:08.720
infinite frame

00:34:07.040 --> 00:34:10.560
a sense of harmony and i think that

00:34:08.720 --> 00:34:12.560
somewhere in there is where the chasm

00:34:10.560 --> 00:34:14.880
between loss and intimacy might find

00:34:12.560 --> 00:34:14.880
itself

00:34:17.200 --> 00:34:20.240
there was quite a bit of commenting

00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:22.240
going on

00:34:20.240 --> 00:34:23.680
about aaron's image

00:34:22.240 --> 00:34:25.680
and

00:34:23.680 --> 00:34:28.240
so just to collate a few of the the

00:34:25.680 --> 00:34:30.079
comments into a sort of question is was

00:34:28.240 --> 00:34:33.440
there any um

00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:35.599
photoshopping done uh in the image or

00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:37.200
was the blackness just created through

00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:40.079
light there are a couple of questions

00:34:37.200 --> 00:34:43.200
there about how you managed the light um

00:34:40.079 --> 00:34:44.079
in that particular instance yeah um i

00:34:43.200 --> 00:34:46.160
was going to show you the original

00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:47.280
capture i don't know if we it ended up

00:34:46.160 --> 00:34:49.680
in the um

00:34:47.280 --> 00:34:51.839
in the slideshow but um

00:34:49.680 --> 00:34:53.920
no essentially that's that's how black

00:34:51.839 --> 00:34:57.359
it was like i mentioned earlier mike's

00:34:53.920 --> 00:34:59.599
um lockdown tan uh his is you know our

00:34:57.359 --> 00:35:01.520
usual melbourne town is um

00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:03.359
not the greatest not world renowned but

00:35:01.520 --> 00:35:06.880
after three months on lockdown he was

00:35:03.359 --> 00:35:08.319
you know white white and so the exposure

00:35:06.880 --> 00:35:09.680
that that's how it landed to get this

00:35:08.319 --> 00:35:11.680
skin tone so

00:35:09.680 --> 00:35:13.040
um there is some photoshopping

00:35:11.680 --> 00:35:15.280
essentially i took someone out of the

00:35:13.040 --> 00:35:17.440
shop to make it more uh you know to

00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:19.520
heighten the sense of isolation and

00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:21.040
and what i saw is the story in the image

00:35:19.520 --> 00:35:22.560
but um

00:35:21.040 --> 00:35:24.000
yeah again hopefully people get to see

00:35:22.560 --> 00:35:26.400
it in the print where you can sort of

00:35:24.000 --> 00:35:29.119
maybe appreciate a bit more of

00:35:26.400 --> 00:35:29.119
the context

00:35:30.880 --> 00:35:36.560
the black is very inky black when you

00:35:34.640 --> 00:35:38.240
when you see yeah

00:35:36.560 --> 00:35:40.160
i understand in the in the gallery as

00:35:38.240 --> 00:35:41.280
well with the reflection of the you know

00:35:40.160 --> 00:35:43.440
when you're in the white space and you

00:35:41.280 --> 00:35:44.800
get reflections it could be challenging

00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:46.000
so

00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:47.839
you know there's a lot of work going

00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:50.319
into figuring out just what how black

00:35:47.839 --> 00:35:51.760
the black needs to be

00:35:50.319 --> 00:35:53.520
it's great though it gives some people

00:35:51.760 --> 00:35:55.119
something to interrogate and really kind

00:35:53.520 --> 00:35:57.440
of um

00:35:55.119 --> 00:36:00.079
query which i quite like

00:35:57.440 --> 00:36:01.520
yeah i thought you know if i was

00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:03.760
imagining looking at it from a distance

00:36:01.520 --> 00:36:06.240
you know if you get

00:36:03.760 --> 00:36:07.359
in an exhibition of 80 images and some

00:36:06.240 --> 00:36:09.280
people sort of

00:36:07.359 --> 00:36:10.480
glance at some from a distance

00:36:09.280 --> 00:36:12.240
hopefully there's enough in the

00:36:10.480 --> 00:36:16.400
blackness to make you want to get up

00:36:12.240 --> 00:36:18.400
really close and interrogate it

00:36:16.400 --> 00:36:21.040
um i have a question for nick sorry to

00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:23.920
butt into the to the um audience but

00:36:21.040 --> 00:36:26.480
nick has this inspired you to um

00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:28.160
continue or to sort of throw yourself

00:36:26.480 --> 00:36:31.680
even more into photography than you have

00:36:28.160 --> 00:36:34.079
in the past um i guess searching for

00:36:31.680 --> 00:36:36.960
subjects so interesting talking to

00:36:34.079 --> 00:36:38.160
suzanne um approaching people that she

00:36:36.960 --> 00:36:39.280
doesn't know

00:36:38.160 --> 00:36:41.839
um

00:36:39.280 --> 00:36:44.800
that's probably outside my

00:36:41.839 --> 00:36:47.599
uh i guess my personality um i would

00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:50.079
find it initially uh quite challenging

00:36:47.599 --> 00:36:52.319
to approach people that i don't know so

00:36:50.079 --> 00:36:54.400
yeah i've been having uh hadley as the

00:36:52.319 --> 00:36:55.760
subject to explore my own photography

00:36:54.400 --> 00:36:58.560
has been quite

00:36:55.760 --> 00:37:00.720
uh good just to explore different ways

00:36:58.560 --> 00:37:04.319
to capture light and things like that

00:37:00.720 --> 00:37:05.920
um but definitely um it would be uh

00:37:04.319 --> 00:37:08.800
stepping outside my comfort zone at this

00:37:05.920 --> 00:37:11.280
stage to approach strangers

00:37:08.800 --> 00:37:12.880
yeah absolutely you could um hit up

00:37:11.280 --> 00:37:15.680
other family members probably i would

00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:15.680
think yeah sure

00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:20.640
um how are we going robert do we have

00:37:17.920 --> 00:37:20.640
any more questions

00:37:21.119 --> 00:37:25.119
i muted myself i've still got some

00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:27.359
comments and questions and i think we've

00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:31.040
still got time to take uh take one or

00:37:27.359 --> 00:37:33.200
two more um there was a question whether

00:37:31.040 --> 00:37:36.160
um the panelists generally could comment

00:37:33.200 --> 00:37:39.359
on the evolving role of photographers

00:37:36.160 --> 00:37:41.359
do we fundamentally stay the same in a

00:37:39.359 --> 00:37:43.839
permanently changed world and there's

00:37:41.359 --> 00:37:46.720
clearly a lot of photographers on on the

00:37:43.839 --> 00:37:46.720
line at the moment

00:37:49.440 --> 00:37:54.560
james why don't you give that one a go

00:37:52.240 --> 00:37:56.960
no i mean

00:37:54.560 --> 00:37:59.760
i think that photography is always

00:37:56.960 --> 00:38:02.079
evolving um i don't see any difference

00:37:59.760 --> 00:38:03.599
between us as photographers and people

00:38:02.079 --> 00:38:05.920
who are using their phones to take

00:38:03.599 --> 00:38:08.640
photos of their friends in my generation

00:38:05.920 --> 00:38:10.319
um i think that like any industry there

00:38:08.640 --> 00:38:11.839
can be you know some kind of elitist

00:38:10.319 --> 00:38:13.280
sense of this is what photography is and

00:38:11.839 --> 00:38:15.200
this is what photography isn't and i

00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:16.960
think that this past year has just shown

00:38:15.200 --> 00:38:19.200
us that photography is all different

00:38:16.960 --> 00:38:20.560
kinds of things and art is all different

00:38:19.200 --> 00:38:22.480
kinds of things

00:38:20.560 --> 00:38:24.800
so yeah i think that photography is

00:38:22.480 --> 00:38:26.720
always evolving and um

00:38:24.800 --> 00:38:28.240
yeah i think that

00:38:26.720 --> 00:38:29.680
last year was just a really beautiful

00:38:28.240 --> 00:38:31.760
time for a lot of people i think to even

00:38:29.680 --> 00:38:33.839
just sit down and learn to photograph as

00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:36.160
well and learn that there's different

00:38:33.839 --> 00:38:37.440
ways i mean in nick's case like that is

00:38:36.160 --> 00:38:39.280
just like one of the most incredible

00:38:37.440 --> 00:38:40.880
photos i think i've ever seen and you

00:38:39.280 --> 00:38:42.960
know yeah that he's not even a

00:38:40.880 --> 00:38:44.480
photographer it's just like a testament

00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:46.720
to how

00:38:44.480 --> 00:38:48.160
wonderful the the medium can be for all

00:38:46.720 --> 00:38:51.040
different kinds of people in its

00:38:48.160 --> 00:38:53.680
accessibility

00:38:51.040 --> 00:38:53.680
it's james

00:38:54.560 --> 00:38:57.359
how about you aaron

00:38:56.560 --> 00:38:59.040
um

00:38:57.359 --> 00:39:00.400
i guess i'll be interested i'm

00:38:59.040 --> 00:39:02.800
interested in all the people that are

00:39:00.400 --> 00:39:04.560
doing things you know remotely now

00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:06.560
that's probably the

00:39:04.560 --> 00:39:08.640
big difference and um you know the sort

00:39:06.560 --> 00:39:09.920
of technology and and know how that

00:39:08.640 --> 00:39:11.680
comes around

00:39:09.920 --> 00:39:13.200
doing that whether you're having

00:39:11.680 --> 00:39:14.560
crews on the other end or you're

00:39:13.200 --> 00:39:16.800
shooting through

00:39:14.560 --> 00:39:18.640
um through technology you know

00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:20.319
photography is intrinsically wrapped up

00:39:18.640 --> 00:39:22.800
in technology so when you've got this

00:39:20.319 --> 00:39:25.359
adversity of the challenge of you can't

00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:27.760
be there or around people or have to

00:39:25.359 --> 00:39:29.040
associate distance then then you know in

00:39:27.760 --> 00:39:32.960
some ways technology's gonna have to

00:39:29.040 --> 00:39:34.319
help make up that gap and um so you know

00:39:32.960 --> 00:39:36.240
i think it would be

00:39:34.319 --> 00:39:38.160
it should be interesting development but

00:39:36.240 --> 00:39:40.400
hopefully we get to just um

00:39:38.160 --> 00:39:41.839
get around each other a lot more as well

00:39:40.400 --> 00:39:43.520
yeah

00:39:41.839 --> 00:39:45.839
absolutely

00:39:43.520 --> 00:39:48.160
actually as comments come through mort

00:39:45.839 --> 00:39:50.000
has said on the zoom that

00:39:48.160 --> 00:39:51.920
it basically agrees with you that we do

00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:55.200
not stay the same we adapt with the

00:39:51.920 --> 00:39:56.319
environment and the evolving technology

00:39:55.200 --> 00:39:58.400
um

00:39:56.319 --> 00:40:00.400
probably time for one last question well

00:39:58.400 --> 00:40:02.880
actually i've got one that specifically

00:40:00.400 --> 00:40:04.319
to suzanne and um from jennifer

00:40:02.880 --> 00:40:07.680
wondering whether suzanne could

00:40:04.319 --> 00:40:10.160
elaborate on how she found her subjects

00:40:07.680 --> 00:40:12.839
and how much direction she gave them in

00:40:10.160 --> 00:40:15.280
setting up those

00:40:12.839 --> 00:40:18.240
shots and i just ask you if that's

00:40:15.280 --> 00:40:20.160
isolation portraits or um icing resins

00:40:18.240 --> 00:40:22.720
because they're really different um i

00:40:20.160 --> 00:40:24.720
can talk about both but

00:40:22.720 --> 00:40:26.560
it's not specific no so isolation

00:40:24.720 --> 00:40:28.319
portraits were really people that i

00:40:26.560 --> 00:40:32.079
already knew in the community though so

00:40:28.319 --> 00:40:34.240
they were already in the 5k zones and um

00:40:32.079 --> 00:40:36.079
some were people that i had long

00:40:34.240 --> 00:40:37.680
modified wanted to photograph that i'd

00:40:36.079 --> 00:40:40.319
seen in the street

00:40:37.680 --> 00:40:42.480
and so i kind of used that as an avenue

00:40:40.319 --> 00:40:43.839
to ask them and every time i went to

00:40:42.480 --> 00:40:45.359
someone's house

00:40:43.839 --> 00:40:46.640
they would i would ask them is there

00:40:45.359 --> 00:40:48.079
someone you would recommend who you

00:40:46.640 --> 00:40:50.319
think might be really interested or a

00:40:48.079 --> 00:40:52.480
really or a really interesting character

00:40:50.319 --> 00:40:55.359
as well and i'd get referrals in that

00:40:52.480 --> 00:40:56.960
way so i approached i think 99 of the

00:40:55.359 --> 00:40:58.880
people um

00:40:56.960 --> 00:41:02.000
in artists in residence they're all

00:40:58.880 --> 00:41:03.760
people i either know um

00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:05.760
yeah are friends with have worked with

00:41:03.760 --> 00:41:07.520
or um had uh

00:41:05.760 --> 00:41:09.359
you know admired and respected

00:41:07.520 --> 00:41:12.720
performers and artists and gave me an

00:41:09.359 --> 00:41:12.720
opportunity to reach out and ask

00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:18.640
well i think that might be

00:41:16.079 --> 00:41:20.000
all we've got time for now i don't know

00:41:18.640 --> 00:41:22.480
that i've ever said that before but

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:23.440
there we go

00:41:22.480 --> 00:41:26.160
um

00:41:23.440 --> 00:41:28.000
i would like very much to thank not just

00:41:26.160 --> 00:41:30.160
our audience and the team here at the

00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:31.440
national portrait gallery uh robert and

00:41:30.160 --> 00:41:34.480
hector and jill

00:41:31.440 --> 00:41:36.559
but also thank you so much suzanne aaron

00:41:34.480 --> 00:41:38.240
james and nick for giving us your time

00:41:36.559 --> 00:41:40.559
today it's been really lovely it's been

00:41:38.240 --> 00:41:41.920
great to talk to you and it's been great

00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:44.160
to have an opportunity to get a bit of

00:41:41.920 --> 00:41:46.480
an insight into not just

00:41:44.160 --> 00:41:48.559
the experiences that you've had during

00:41:46.480 --> 00:41:50.640
lockdown but also your practice and how

00:41:48.559 --> 00:41:52.480
you've approached um

00:41:50.640 --> 00:41:53.839
continuing to stay creative during this

00:41:52.480 --> 00:41:56.240
period so

00:41:53.839 --> 00:41:58.400
thank you very much

00:41:56.240 --> 00:42:01.359
thanks so much sandra and james

00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:03.680
thank you everyone great to be here

00:42:01.359 --> 00:42:03.680
thanks

00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:08.000
thanks to our panelists uh thanks sandra

00:42:07.040 --> 00:42:10.160
for

00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:13.520
moderating a very interesting um

00:42:10.160 --> 00:42:15.520
discussion and uh for extracting all

00:42:13.520 --> 00:42:18.800
those inside stories and sharing them

00:42:15.520 --> 00:42:21.119
with our national community

00:42:18.800 --> 00:42:24.000
as sandra said the exhibition is now

00:42:21.119 --> 00:42:25.440
extended to the 16th of january so

00:42:24.000 --> 00:42:27.200
hopefully you'll get a chance to

00:42:25.440 --> 00:42:29.119
experience it here at the national

00:42:27.200 --> 00:42:32.119
portrait gallery in canberra but in the

00:42:29.119 --> 00:42:34.160
meantime you can go to our website

00:42:32.119 --> 00:42:36.640
portrait.golf.u and you can check out

00:42:34.160 --> 00:42:38.319
all of the finalists images with

00:42:36.640 --> 00:42:40.240
accompanying statements

00:42:38.319 --> 00:42:41.680
and while you're there you can vote for

00:42:40.240 --> 00:42:43.040
your favorite

00:42:41.680 --> 00:42:44.640
photographs

00:42:43.040 --> 00:42:47.359
and there's some very nice goodies for

00:42:44.640 --> 00:42:48.559
you to win and five thousand dollar

00:42:47.359 --> 00:42:51.200
prize

00:42:48.559 --> 00:42:53.280
that will go to the um

00:42:51.200 --> 00:42:55.680
uh successful photographer from the

00:42:53.280 --> 00:42:57.079
david roche foundation so do that while

00:42:55.680 --> 00:42:59.520
you're at

00:42:57.079 --> 00:43:02.559
portrait.gov.edu you can also click on

00:42:59.520 --> 00:43:04.559
the watch section and a recording of

00:43:02.559 --> 00:43:07.200
this panel discussion and also some

00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:09.359
previous um panel discussions about the

00:43:07.200 --> 00:43:11.040
living memory exhibition are there for

00:43:09.359 --> 00:43:13.520
you to watch

00:43:11.040 --> 00:43:16.720
and also while you're at our website you

00:43:13.520 --> 00:43:18.960
can go to what's on and you will find um

00:43:16.720 --> 00:43:20.000
some of our upcoming programs both

00:43:18.960 --> 00:43:22.720
online

00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:25.280
and once we reopen on-site at the

00:43:22.720 --> 00:43:28.240
portrait gallery next tuesday we've got

00:43:25.280 --> 00:43:30.960
a virtual highlights tour at 12 30. oh

00:43:28.240 --> 00:43:34.240
my word it's called looking at works

00:43:30.960 --> 00:43:35.920
with words and how artists use text in

00:43:34.240 --> 00:43:38.559
portraits

00:43:35.920 --> 00:43:41.680
on the 11th of september a really big

00:43:38.559 --> 00:43:43.119
plug for an online workshop a portrait

00:43:41.680 --> 00:43:45.839
drawing workshop

00:43:43.119 --> 00:43:47.760
led by um artist alisa crossing

00:43:45.839 --> 00:43:49.359
looking to pounce

00:43:47.760 --> 00:43:51.359
and you can find out all sorts of

00:43:49.359 --> 00:43:53.760
details about that there and there's

00:43:51.359 --> 00:43:54.480
many other virtual activities coming up

00:43:53.760 --> 00:43:56.800
so

00:43:54.480 --> 00:43:58.559
check out the website thanks everyone

00:43:56.800 --> 00:44:01.520
thanks for participating in the chat

00:43:58.559 --> 00:44:02.960
thanks to our facebook audience as well

00:44:01.520 --> 00:44:05.839
fantastic

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we will catch you at another virtual

00:44:05.839 --> 00:44:12.839
program and in person once we reopen

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thanks everyone bye-bye