Philosophy of train trips. If there is a greater thrill of travelling than the discovery of unknown places, for me it is always getting there by train. Gazing out the window or reading, swaying to the gentle clanking rhythm, soothing those parts I neglect and miss. The moment I step off the train inside…
Visual Photo Diary & reflections on isolation I’m currently taking part in the Ballarat Intl Foto Biennale curated project called Mass Isolation Australia. This online project is a visual record of the COVID-19 crisis on Instagram, inspired by the 1937 Mass Observation project in Britain. Curators Shaohui Kwok and Amelia Saward invite Australians to share…
It’s been more than 6 weeks of living in isolation. How do you deal with it and what are your strategies? For someone like me who experiences an intense internal pressure of achieving, this time of living and working in isolation is surprisingly good for me, at the moment. I found that I have much…
Creating art in the pandemic The pandemic has stopped all the photography work assignments. It’s really hard to accept that and also harder to figure out what to do next. What I’ve decided to do next is to go through my photography archive and work with what I’ve got. Cafe in Soler scene It is…
Behind the photographs: The long search for freedom 11 July 2017, Train Melbourne – Ballarat. 1.17pm This dream was the inspiration for my solo exhibition/installation In the Process of Healing at Ballarat Convent/Welcome Centre during Ballarat Foto Biennale 2017. Last night I had a dream. I’ve been walking on a bridge with Suganthini. The bridge…
Hills Hoist, an iconic Australian invention An Australian invented device for carrying a clothes line, which could be elevated via a lever mechanism. Having grown up in Poland, my memories of our expansive backyard are quite different from my Aussie friends. I became somewhat fascinated by the old Victorian houses and various Aussies inventions,…
It has gotten to me. Inertia. I can’t sleep. Photography exhibition project in the pipeline and I crumble like no tomorrow. The comforting thing is, I’m not alone to anxiety, in fact everyone goes through more or less similar experience. But how debilitating is it?!!! Correct. I feel like a heavy bucket of sand today.…
East and West, or in between, these words seem to succinctly describe my life. I was born in the communism era of late seventies and eighties in Poland. It was tough. Growing up, I was noticing that people around me have always desired change, yet not always acted on their instinct because sometimes they just…
I’m finally home after a very successful In the Process of Healing photo exhibition / art installation at the Ballarat Welcome Centre, part of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale festival. Sense of accomplishment and pride. Time to clean the cameras, back up files and go fishing. I wish! I’m happy, fulfilled, grateful and exhausted. Realisation…
Airbnb Based On A True Review For all who love sharing your homes to strangers. Few months ago I took part in an international writing contest by an online hospitality service Airbnb and wrote a short story about my first ever hosting experience, which won a 3rd prize from thousands of international submissions. My very first…
Australian backyard, an iconic feature of the Australian suburb is changing fast. A large backyard is no more, it has largely disappeared from new Australian suburbs substituted by much smaller outdoor spaces. Whatever the size of lot, the dwelling now covers most of its area. The current urban planning does little to prevent it. Land developers…
Flying object kinetic force of unknown origin came lightning fast interrupting the air currents Every Wednesday I’m at the Lakes Entrance beach. I never know what I will find. Analytical brain questions everything: why, what does it mean, what is the message/concept behind it, what do I do with it now, why did it land…
‘We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment’ Hilaire Belloc Photography and travel I keep going back to these landscapes from the Moroccan desert. when I took them in October 2007, I was in a constant state of flux. Migrating from Poland to the UK has been quite a cultural change for…
Dreamscapes are Aldona Kmiec’s new photographic series. Aldona’s use of photography brings the viewer a unique dreamscape perspective of the Australian landscape and explores the feminine psyche. Limited edition photographs of staged performances with romantic scenes of local art heroes emerging from an ever-changing landscape are part of the Dreamscapes series. Elusive unicorn in a dreamlike walk…
I have recently submitted a short piece of creative writing on the topic of migration to a writing contest run by a Polish publishing house in Brisbane, Favoryta.Com. My Migration story as well as over twenty other Polish migrants in Australia has been beautifully published in a softcover book My Migration – Moja Emigracja. With…