my final composition for assessment two
A Suburban Realm 2020 Black and white photographic paper
A Suburban Realm is a literal exploration of the theme ‘make what will happen’. It consists of a series of square format images of varying sizes which explore the idea of post-war architecture. Post-war suburban architecture in Australia is commonly present and distinguished by its red, blonde or brown brick, single storey houses and apartment blocks. After the second world war there was a shortage in building supplies, however with a rising demand for residential properties a quick and cheap alternative was necessary. This resulted in the boom of post-war architecture. The style which is disliked by many and characterised as ‘ugly’ due to its uniformity and ‘sameness’. I have photographed a series of post-war architectural structures in my residential suburb of Kingsford, which is located in the eastern suburbs. Kingsford and the surrounding suburbs house a large array of post-war architecture. The images focus on the details within various buildings highlighting the difference between them. The geometry and linear details create a sense of beauty within the displeasing. I have arranged the images within three groupings. Two groupings comprise of smaller images whereas the central grouping comprises on three larger images. The images within each grouping is connecting by a single line that runs through the images. These black and white lines within the compositions connect the images together, drawing the viewers eye across the images, and thus highlighting the differences in the detail between the architecture.
The influence behind my images was mainly due to self-exploration with a camera and my surroundings. I have had an interest in architecture, particularly the post-war architecture that surrounds me, since my last years of high school. This interest led me to pursue a career in architecture which I am now completing. My main artists of influence were Bill Owens, Peter O’Doherty and Dora Maurer. Owens photography of American suburbia inspired my ideas on subject whilst the paintings of O’Doherty led me to focus on the details within post-war suburban architecture. For my final composition I have taken inspiration from the lines captured in Maurer’s photography sequences which I have experimented with through the lines that connect my images.
