disappearingTASMANIA an image of the West. Photographic Documentary 2005

<body leftmargin="1" topmargin="1"> <p align="justify"><font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><font size="-1.5">Since late 2003, Patrick Ronald and Shannon McDonell have been working on the <font color="#990000" face="Franklin Gothic Demi">disappearingTASMANIA: an image of the West</font> photo documentary. A project that aims to document Australian rural towns that have suffered severe decline over a ten year period.</font></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="-1.5" face="Franklin Gothic Medium">In June, 2005, the photographers set out for their first encounter with the towns of the West, recording their initial response.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="-1.5" face="Franklin Gothic Medium">This is the beginning of the <font color="#990000"><strong>disappearing TASMANIA: an image of the West</strong></font> project. These images are the photographers’ first reaction, scenes that have been revealed for the first time. <br> </font><font size="-1.5" face="Franklin Gothic Medium"> </font><font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><font size="-1.5"><em><font color="#333333" size="-3" face="Franklin Gothic Book"> HE</font></em></font></font><font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><font face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><font size="-1.5"><font color="#333333" size="-3" face="Franklin Gothic Book"><em>ADING WEST</em>, Tasmania, 2005. Patrick Ronald</font></font></font></font></font></p> <p><font size="-1" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Until this point I have created documentary projects that show the reality of social and domestic rural culture. <br> <br> Using image and text I portray identities, unromanticised, aiming to uncover the subjects true character.<br> <br> I spend time with my subjects to obtain images and quotes that explain their way of life and the actuality of their occupations.<br> <br> These photographs act as a personal mythology that portrays an unspoken pride.<br> <br> <font size="-1" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Please click </font><font color="#6699FF"><a href="http://freehosting.hostrave.com/p/shannon" target="_parent">Keeping it in the Family 2004</a></font>, one of my previous projects, to see the style of portraiture I will use to document the people of the West.</font><br> </p> <p><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Through photography I seek to explore the relationship between person, place, space and time.<br> <br> </font><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book">When the vernacular is displayed past and present unite, you are left with a living environment, both built and natural. All occupied spaces leave traces of our habitation, some more severely than others.<br> <br> </font><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Rural culture and subjects offer questions in our collective memories. Ideals presented through popular media place images in our mind of what rural is. By immersing myself in these environments I find whole histories can be presented and stories of both past and present are able to unfold.</font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book"><strong><font color="#990000" size="-1">Disappearing Tasmania: An Image of the West</font></strong><font size="-1"> will be a cohesive portrait of contemporary life and historical culture of towns that have suffered extreme decline in Tasmania.<br> <br> This project will provide an honest account of the landscape, and the people, in order to preserve the Australian spirit that is present within and around these towns. The rich heritage of their adversity will be preserved before further economic and cultural change affects both the people and the land.<br> <br> <font color="#000000">This project </font>engages with community members, documenting their personal oral histories in order to create a current photographic portrait of these individuals, in their surrounding environments. Utilising information gained through the interview process, aspects of both the built and natural environments will be documented accordingly.<br> <br> <strong><font color="#990000">Disappearing Tasmania: An Image of the West</font></strong> will collect samples of personal photographic documents. By using the archives that are already present within the communities, a representation of occurrences that have been integral to the towns life will be achieved.<br> <br> The documentation of the people within the community, their environment and the recording of their oral histories will provide important historical documents of the community at a specific moment in time.<br> <br> For more information on the towns included in the project visit the <a href="http://www.westcoast.tas.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=254">Tasmanian West Coast Council</a> website.</font></font> </p> <p> </p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Through photography I seek to explore the relationship between person, place, space and time.<br> <br> When the vernacular is displayed past and present unite, you are left with a living environment, both built and natural. All occupied spaces leave traces of our habitation, some more severely than others.<br> <br> Rural culture and subjects offer questions in our collective memories. Ideals presented through popular media place images in our mind of what rural is. By immersing myself in these environments I find whole histories can be presented and stories of both past and present are able to unfold.</font><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book"> </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Please <a href="spaces.htm" target="_self">click here</a> to view some of my previous work</font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="-1" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Until this point I have created documentary projects that show the reality of social and domestic rural culture. <br> <br> Using image and text I portray identities, unromanticised, aiming to uncover the subjects true character.<br> <br> I spend time with my subjects to obtain images and quotes that explain their way of life and the actuality of their occupations. These photographs act as a personal mythology that portrays an unspoken pride.<br> <br> <font size="-1" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Please click </font><font color="#6699FF"><a href="kiitf.htm" target="_self">Keeping it in the Family 2004</a></font><a href="kiitf.htm">,</a> one of my previous projects, to see the style of portraiture I will use to document the people of the West.</font><font color="#CCCCCC" size="+1" face="Franklin Gothic Medium"><em><strong> </strong></em></font></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="2" face="Franklin Gothic Book">Disappearing Tasmania: An Image of the West, Tasmania, Australia, Photographers, Photography, contemporary, photo essay, Shannon McDonell, Patrick Ronald, CSU, Queenstown, Savage River, Tullah, Rosebery, Zeehan, West Coast, Documentary, documentary Photography, Documentary Photographers, 2005, The Project, Artists, Contact, Photographs, home, decline, rural, community, towns, photo journalist, Contemporary Australian Photographer</font></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </body>