In rooms left lifeless long ago, a presence from the past can still be felt – traces of something that happened or someone long ago gone. These works play with manifesting this sense of the unseen: long forgotten feelings; small moments of memory; dreams and déjà vus; each revealing something that resides in the inner self rather than the physical spaces.
Revisiting the same rooms over time, there was a powerful sense of being struck by the sense of time trapped within them – the surfaces gradually fade and lay down dust and debris, providing strange, fragile stages on which fleeting dramas can emerge.
These rooms include a farm in Normandy that briefly housed World War II prisoners; the vast spaces of Cockatoo Island that were once a reform school for young women in the 19th Century; and a private devotional space in an attic sealed from the house below. In some, a contrast is drawn bewteen the haunted atmosphere of the rooms and the spontaneity of a young child exploring unawares.
Kickstart our month-long festival of the arts with music, photography, and community on the shores of the dazzling Bondi Beach. Be the first to know who won the 2024 Head On Photo Awards and get a taste of the photographs redefining visual storytelling.
Enthralling. Enchanting. Extraordinary. Discover exceptional photography for free around Sydney during the festival 8 Nov–1 Dec 2024
