HOME IS BOTH HERE & THERE
There’s a space as an artist I’ve been called to occupy: It’s the threshold of home, between the world and the welcome mat where the brokenness and beauty of humanity meet. Artists, border walkers are called to stand outside the front door of life, with a welcome mat rolled out to greet other travellers into the shelter of eternity, wonder and story. Due to a self chosen displacement, the search for comfort and home in a foreign land remains a constant heart beat as an artist in exile. Through photography, I explore the juxtaposition between intimate and sentimental belongings paired with practical objects. These images raise questions of belonging, identity and individuality within the context of globalisation and becoming an adult. Photography becomes a language in which I am able to share my personal history and relate it to global issues surrounding home.
Hands of Harvest , Tuscany
During my visit to Florence in 2019, I had the privilege of partaking in the tomato harvest to make Sugo (sauce). Giovanni and Grazia knew every step and led the many willing workers in the task of preserving the ripened tomatoes. At the end of the day we were left with an abundance of jars generously full of homemade delicious Italian red sauce. The jars were shared with neighbors, friends, family and stored for the winter. It was both a liberal and conservative event that required the value of hard working hands all the while celebrating community and life abundant. Giovani’s hands as he cut and washed held tomatoes revealed that illuminated drip, that seems to hold life itself.
Relational Journalism
What stories are people reading and hearing in the news? How do we share our stories? Integrity in journalism has been a major question over the decades. Relational journalism is a new way of seeing that detaches sensationalised media and technology and roots back into integrity and humanity. The purpose and function of relational journalism is to document an experience, feeling, story and create a portrait through words and images that authentically connect personal stories to global issues and questions of home.
