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Concept and Photographic Progress

When I first took on this task I entered Chippendale with my fellow group members not knowing what to expect. We all did not know what Chippendale would be like, I questioned myself thinking if it would be a busy or quiet place and thought of what would interest me. At first I found it very difficult to focus on one aspect of the task which led me to keeping an open mind and capturing things that caught my eye.

  At first I took photos of objects that caught my eye as I walked through the streets, however after walking through Chippendale I noticed that I was attracted to the colour red. I took images of red doors, red items and graffiti but I still felt confused about what was the best way to apporach the task. When I spoke to Chris with the group he suggested I try to find something more intersting not just taking photos because I like the colour red…which is quite funny because blue is my favourite colour, I guess because the red items stood out so much from everything else that I felt obliged to capture it.

  After speaking with Chris and the group I went back into Chippendale trying to avoid any red objects and to focus on small detail. I managed to find a hole rusted into the wall near a garage door and thought that this would be a new way to apporach the task. It was after this finding that I started to look for things that were roting and rusting away, so technically I was trying to capture the history of Chippendale thorough the deterioration over the new and reonovative buildings and structres. However as I reviewed my work of metal poles, fences and walls that were rusting away I did not find it appealing and I wanted to aim at demonstrating the aesthetics of something that is overlooked.

  This led me to seeking out a new perspective of capturing the deterioration of Chippendale as I decided to spend more time in the streets and alley ways to allow myself examine and observe my surroundings to find that small detail. This ultimately led me to my final perspective of the task as I started to capture peeling paint off walls to demonstrate an aesthetic approach to the deterioration of Chippendale.

At first I did not understand why I found peeling paint facinating, I guess it was  because you see a lot of renovative structures, new painted buildings, even new paint being coated on top of old peeling paint which gave off a facnating texture and that it was just a simple aspect that is over looked. I chose to shoot the images with a shallow depth of field so that you are focusing on the detail of the pieces of paint that are hanging off the wall, and I also captured images of a larger depth of field to show a different view of the peeling paint as it created a unique texture through the cracks and shadows that it creates.

I also felt interested in the peeling paint as I loved how you could see it physically hanging off the wall, the different coloured layers and also the shadows beneath it…I just felt like I wanted to rip it off the wall so that it would be flat, but that’s the beauty of it, something that is not beautiful and abstract can be seen as beautiful.

- Malita

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Concept

The initial concept that I attempted to carry out at the beginning of this project was to explore and unearth the urban and unique culture that Chippendale is stereotypically known for, as well as to also explore the urban cultural aesthetics possessed by the area. In all honesty, the first few times I entered the area, I focused on anything somewhat interesting that I would walk past. I knew I was aiming to focus on the culture and urban aesthetic of Chippendale, but I was struggling to narrow it down to one focal point and aspect of my concept. However, after consultations with Chris, I began asking myself…

  “What exactly makes up a culture?”

  The answer was simple. The people.

  The people affected every aspect of Chippendale, from the certain types of business and shops that were within the area. Each individual possess their own sense of style, and they use their garments to inform others of their personality.

  Personally, being deeply interested with fashion – I decided to focus on the unique and vibrant individuals that were roaming around Chippendale. There are a great range of people who visit Chippendale for various reasons – and all from varying backgrounds and unique stories. I decided to approach individuals that gave off interesting, friendly, unique and vibrant vibes as I walked around Chippendale, and interestingly enough – most of the individuals I approached were standing or walking nearby backdrops (the architecture of Chippendale) that complimented their outfits of the day – such as complimentary and/or contrasting hues.

  The concept of my project took a turn after this. I have actively followed street style photographers such as Tommy Ton and The Sartorialist for a while, so I decided to put my own flavour to it and focus on the street style of Chippendale. I felt as though I was successfully achieving my concept by exploring the culture of Chippendale, whilst focusing on a great interest.

  Whilst photographing the selected individuals/strangers, I was provided a massive insight into their lives – as soon as I noticed their sense of style. The initial greeting and compliment was what allowed me to earn an aspect of their trust for them to tell me something about themselves. It was an interesting concept, and allowed me to realise that the way in which you approach a stranger greatly affects their attitude and comfort level with someone they have just met. Therefore affecting the photograph, as it portrays their true emotions, and allows the viewer to possibly gain an insight into the individual’s life, only by their choice of clothing and emotions captured within the images.

  In order to further support this theory, I decided to not reveal each individual’s name with their photos – therefore it allows the viewer’s imagination and own interpretation to run wild.

  Through this project, what I have discovered is that the culture of Chippendale is made up of a collective and cohesive combination of different personalities, that although each on its own is unique and individualistic, they all connect together in order to form the culture, and therefore, the overall aesthetic of Chippendale itself.

  - Haesun

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The Photographic Process and Resonating Concepts

From the very beginning of this assessment task, I kept in mind Chris' motivation to undergo a documentary project that challenges us to a certain extent that involves going beyond our comfort zones. However, as he also mentioned, it's about undertaking a project that illuminates a sense of passion, a desire and a somewhat interested approach in any aspect or genre of photography for which we situate in Chippendale. 

When I first began to explore the suburb, going out there with no planned ideas and undirected snapshots which predominantly consisted of people, an interest of pursuing the idea of street photography was something that I could work with. Whether it was capturing people in action or portraying what they're doing, I hoped to photograph people that would tell a story or an underlying meaning. 

Initially, I was quite uncomfortable approaching random people, hence the challenge that I set for myself. Rather than asking for a photograph to be taken, I started to take photos of people without them noticing (candid shots), which mainly constituted the sight of their backs or side view, however, most of my images of this view were not truthfully compelling. 

I observed my overall images and the photos that I captured were primarily of people smoking, walking down an alley way, or dominantly, seen to be looking down on their mobile phone screens, perceived to be so absorbed in their own context. Isolated figures is the notion that was also prominent from such situations, conveying emptiness in alley ways and a ‘lost in thought’ type of matter in the portrayal of people being on their phones or sitting/standing alone. I therefore developed my initial concept from there - my images connoting a sense of loneliness; a detachment from one’s surroundings; not aware and seem lost of what is happening around them. As these people are depicted to be seen on their phones, it also suggests that an individual finds pleasure in the occupation of technological communication devices in order to ‘escape’ the loneliness that we may feel - something that we have become so highly accustomed to in contemporary society. Overall, I thought to attempt to achieve a further approach on this concept for the final project. 

After the finalisation of our mid-progress review, Chris provided us with beneficial advice and feedback in terms of our images and the sort of direction that we are heading towards. Some of the contemplative feedback that were given to me were: a reverie seems to be occurring in terms of the mobile phone occupation amongst people; there’s a mysterious type of loneliness that is visibly portrayed in my images - particularly the depiction of the man in a suit, walking along an alley way (we don’t usually see this so it’s rather peculiar in a sense). Ultimately, Chris concluded that I now need to decide on which approach to pursue - the wider ‘lost in thought’ approach, the mobile distraction/engagement that is so much of contemporary experience or the isolated figures. He ended the feedback with a notable commentary - “An idea can be quite subtle for it to work.”

Currently, I decided to not take any of these approaches that were previously established. The notion of individual isolation, I thought, was too limited and unexciting, as well as the mobile phone idea - a concept that is not widely accessible enough in order to be broadened more deeply in a sophisticated manner. Considering that people are captivated in such devices, it is becoming an exceedingly modern-day habit. Therefore, in order to obtain a more convincing method to this idea, it is required to go beyond the conventional practice and expand this into an interesting and sustainable final project.

Through the inspiration of Beat Streuli’s work - known for his street portraiture, consisting photographs which focus systematically on ordinary street dwellers, and the contemporary ‘flaneurs’ going about their daily business - I am presently working towards capturing various crowds within Chippendale. Streuli’s work reflects on daily reality and the flow of everyday life. With this in mind, I too wanted to convey the heterogeneity of the crowd by portraying, particularly, what people stop and do in their leisurely time. Through my images, I would like the viewer to become engaged with what they see, feel a sense of intimacy with the lovely groups of Chippendale. The capturing of the dynamically, warm atmosphere of what I have encountered in Chippendale amongst each friendship and family groups, are able to convey a different story that seems to uniquely combine connections which constitutes the vitality of Chippendale and its people. Each image attempts to depict a distinctively, beautiful personality of the individuals, that is heart-warming and appealing. Whether the photographs are comprised of people talking, laughing or simply relaxing, there’s a sense of diverse modernity that entails an inviting cordiality to the component of cultural dynamism that seems to be distinguished within Chippendale. 

Therefore, the opportunity to discover the endless events that occur in the everyday life of Chippendale, is and has been an immensely remarkable experience throughout this documentary project. It has helped me to develop a growing confidence in approaching unknown people and gratefully, has given me the special opportunity to acquaint with many spirited, delightful and friendly people who are open-minded to chat with anyone, anytime. 

- Tanya 

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Intention of Project

Chippendale is known for a unique variety of things. As a group, we initially had no preconceived ideas in terms of what we wanted to capture within the inner-city suburb. Exploring was a primary basis that built our foundations in which photographing Chippendale helped us to learn and experience a more deeper insight into the modern vitality that is offered. Through this development, we have collectively gathered knowledge that perceivably defines what Chippendale means to us. From our earlier works of being quite limited and unguided, to unveiling a common theme in our recent photographs of a sense of "culture", our progression has truly shown to deliver a sense of diversity that exists within the heart of Chippendale.

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