Postcards from the Edge (of South Melbourne)

Photography Studies College Year 2 (2020)

The second lockdown in Melbourne Australia which lasted more than 100 days was a culture shock for everyone in the city. The removal of freedoms, and the donning of masks meant that nobody was able to continue their lives as normal. For many of us, things habitually done completely halted.

With the restrictions of lockdown, I turned to my own home to develop a conceptual series which I could physically achieve during the restrictions, but which would also tell an irreverent story of a life lost. Some of the images involve things I haven’t done for years, others were things I did every week. All of the images utilised materials I already had in my home, apart from a fish.

The images were very challenging to achieve in my small home, and the added restriction to do every image within the boundary or just outside required much thought. However, sometimes planning these shots was all that got me through.

The series starts with a woman who has just “checked out” of the world, at the same time “checking in to the non-coper Cabana”. She starts to recall the elements of her past life, from more mundane lost loves, moving deeper into fantasy as she struggles with her tiny world. She finishes with a battle against the Enemy – Covid 19 – and perhaps a win?