Suburbia: The Australian Dream

The works of Gregory Crewdson, Jeff Wall and Tom Hunter are important in positioning this much of this work. While the work acknowledges their practices my aims differ in my desire to specifically explore the reconstruction of memory and remembered moments is some of the series exhibited here. I am interested in how personal histories define who we are, and how that defines us culturally. Tom Hunter's work explores cultural identity, through recreation and restaging of events in a similar way, though he is not as interested in the perspective of memory. This exhibition also included the Home series, which explored notions of homelessness and how that can be portrayed through reconstruction. This work was done while working closely with Hanover Welfare. Some of the individual pieces in this exhibition have been recognised in national and international awards, these include Sunshine Coast Art Prize, Substation Art Prize, National Portrait Prize (Australia) , National Portrait Prize (UK), W&W Bowness Award (MGA), Albury Art Prize, National Photographic Award (Albury Gallery), Arte Laguna Art Prize (Italy), Arts Hub Award for Innovation, With regard to peer review: 1000 projects from 30 different countries were received in Vevey for this venue. An international jury represented by renowned professional met from June 12 to June 14 in Vevey at the Salle del Castillo where 250 meters of tables were placed in order to provide a venue of quality for the projects in competition. The judges were: Malick Sidibé renowned Malian portrait photographer and president of the 2009 jury, Todd Brandow, (Director of the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/Paris), Monika Faber (Curator of photography, Albertina Museum, Vienna), Geert Goiris, (Artist and winner of the of the 2008 Vevey Photo Awards, Antwerpen), Annette Kulenkampff (Director of Hatje Cantz Edition, Stuttgart-Ostfildern), Stefano Stoll (Director of the festival Images', Vevey).