“The Truth is that we all are fragmented. Some more than others. There are thousand pieces to one’s story.”
Made up of thousands of images and weeks of intense photographic work, the Under the Floorboards artist residency with Uniting Care Ballarat, brought together the work of 12 different artists who have spent the month each with the organisation depicting their experiences.
During my 5 weeks residency at various services across the agency, each day I produced hundreds of photographs which became the basis for four life-size mosaic photographic portraits where selected staff, clients and volunteers became my subjects. I focused on looking at the everyday, I closely observed and photographed staff interactions with clients, volunteers, and between themselves. I took part in tea break conversations, client pick ups and drop offs, and listened to Lifeline volunteers talking about their approach to difficult conversations with people who reach out to them in the time of crisis. It was a hugely inspiring and rewarding work, and I have learnt so much through this experience.
Through this observation, I began thinking about how trauma affects people, and various ways how people deal with their emotional stress. The goal with my artworks was to inspire those who see my work to look more carefully at the world around them, and to discover beauty in fragments of life.
