‘Standing & Falling’ depicts the life and decay of Australian shops. In some places they thrive, whereas in others often just around the corner they were neglected. These are part of our day-to-day urban life.
“For the last eight years I have been exploring many parts of Sydney’s metropolitan and regional towns. What struck me most during my exploration was the stark contrast between the busy retail precincts on the main streets, and the derelict shops just around the next block. I will sometimes find empty shopfronts that are deserted of any commercial activities juxtaposed with a very busy road filled with cars. I often wondered about the future fate of these old shops. Will they be given a chance to regenerate? Or eventually fall under the tides of redevelopment?”
In this series, Desmond Ong has invoked light and shadow to reveal & conceal parts of his subjects in order to accentuate these urban scenes. Whether they are still part of a vibrant street where we come to shop or work, or totally neglected and forgotten. The intention is to let viewers look at what we have built or inherited on this continent, and contemplate on how we are changing our urban environment. Urban sprawl has greatly increased our dependency on cars, and coupled with the more recent digital economy, are changing the way we live and subsequently how our streets function.
Is that shadow from the setting sun? Or is it from the first light at dawn? This is the cycle of life and decay. These places may regenerate and thrive once more or become irrelevant and be forgotten
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