Documentation of work submitted for Master of Fine Arts course, 1984-1985

I am interested in using evidence of the past, such as photographs, documents and letters, and reconstructing it in the present. Juxtaposing images and ideas of past and present are a way of indicating a feeling that who we are and what we do is never free of the past, and that evidence such as photographs stops the past‚ÄövÑvÆand present‚ÄövÑvÆin the circumstances and contexts of that time. In doing this, I am enquiring into why people are what they are, and do what they do. While these enquiries may be about myself, my family, people close to me or issues which interest me, the intention is to engage the viewer in a process of re-evaluation of similar associations and recollections. Although in many ways the works may appear to be a kind of visual social history or documentation, I want them to be more than just memorabilia. My own response and involvement within the works will be important. Sometimes, for example, this has taken the form of a narration running parallel to other visual material. Visual work will start with exploring some of the following: ‚ÄövÑvÆ the idea of portraits; collaged collections of photographs of families in their past and present; juxtaposing parents as children with their own children, for example. ‚ÄövÑvÆ the construction of the new Parliament House in Canberra. While documenting the construction, the work will be an exploration of the various expectations of a building like this, through photographs of the workers and users, and the use of site plans, newspaper items, old photographs and documents. ‚ÄövÑvÆ possible involvement in the local 'Art in working life' project, where some Tasmanian industries will be documented photographically. My involvement would be an attempt to link the present with the past. ‚ÄövÑvÆ the 'team photo' for the Royal Quayle St, Croquet Squadron‚ÄövÑvÆa group of friends who reconstructed a traditional afternoon's entertainment. ‚ÄövÑvÆ an investigation of the Tasmanian railways, which were once a very important communication network. Openings of lines and stations were occasions for celebration, and the railways were very much a part of people's lives. Now other forms of transport are used for people and freight, and a way of life, like so many others, is disappearing. ‚ÄövÑvÆ other ideas and events are sure to arise during the course, and I would like to be able to respond to them, if they fit in with the overall concerns. Theoretical work will probably investigate the nature of social history, and the various ways in which it is recorded, with possibly a more thorough investigation of my own reasons for this research, and methods of doing it.