Welcome to My Place (2009)

This work is an investigation into memory and place, examining the history of my family, discussing the political, cultural and religious aspects of my upbringing. This series has developed out of a need to understand why I am drawn to the politics of poverty. It is the starting point for my investigation into the way I have grown up, looking at how this has impacted the way I view the world today. By utilising ideas of memory and place, it is designed to help me come to terms with the shame I once had growing up as the child of refugee migrants, particularly in being afraid of the possible judgement I would receive because my home was in a state of disrepair.

These images represent a portion of the memories that I have of my home in Adelaide. They are presented with conversations that I have had with my siblings, these memories are personal to us, and therefore are portrayed without any sense of identity or ownership. It examines the idea that memories are not stagnate and set in stone, rather they are constantly evolving impacted by external factors such as time, space, and human interaction. Memories can be reinterpreted, gifted from one person to another; they can gain clarity and they can fade.