I’ve been on a photographic journey over the past few weeks travelling around Tasmania capturing quality photographs for my Tasmanian Modernism website and blog. I really loved writing my last blog about the history of the Launceston General Hospital, if you haven’t seen that post you can check it out here. It brought home what’s important to me - storytelling through my own experiences, photography and archives about Tasmanian 20th Century Modernism.. The relaunch of the Tasmanian 20th Century website and blog has motivated me in so many ways. Most recently I’ve been out and about travelling around Tasmania capturing old favourites with the benefits of what I’ve learnt since picking up my SLR all those years ago. It’s been a wonderful experience, waking up and working for days on end from dawn to dusk capturing quality moments to share.
One of the things I thought about when waking up in the dark and staying out until dawn is how much has changed over the past 15 or so years of documenting for the project. I’ve not only changed and grown as a photographer, but many buildings and places have changed. Sadly, many have been, since I originally captured them, altered beyond original recognition. Tragically many have been demolished too. Most recently a beautiful Art Deco residence was demolished for flats, I only became aware of this when I drove past to document them. Thankfully I captured photographs of it whilst it was still standing, and I look forward to sharing this and many other lost buildings with in future posts. So much change happens within the world of architecture, design and out cities and towns, yet there are so many wonderful examples of Modernism with us in Tasmania still. Documenting these wonderful buildings and creating awareness of the importance of this period in Tasmanian history is what continues to drive me and my passion. Looking back on all my achievements it makes me grateful that I’ve captured so much and continue to do so to this day. We are but specs in time and change is constant. The need to document these places becomes all the more powerful to me knowing that nothing is certain, only change. This process drives me to constantly document, so there is a quality record for posterity.
The Wonderful Art Deco design that is Duncan House in Launceston. This is a photograph taken from my phone of the back of my camera preview screen - live on the shoot. Being out on the road and travelling Tasmania has provided a wonderful opportunity to capture old favourites, new buildings I’ve not captured before and reflect on those buildings, since starting the project have been demolished.
Previous Blog Post: Launceston General Hospital: Life and Death of a Modernist Landmark