I don't think I can express in words the level of excitement and joy I felt when I heard about the concept of 52 Suburbs. So perhaps, I should just resort to using onomatopoeic words such as wow and ohh and eee and urgh. Okay, so I'm not making much sense, but stumbling onto this concept was like finding my creative soulmate and has left me admittedly a little dumbfounded.
52 Suburbs is the brain child of Louise Hawson - an award-winning copywriter and art director who decided she no longer wanted to be a stranger in her own city and was inspired to see Sydney from another perspective. Combining her passion for photography and her quest for the search of beauty, Louise took to the streets and visited one new suburb every week for a year. She then turned her findings into a photographic blog, and to her surprise, people loved the concept.
Louise's images celebrate ordinary objects, landmarks and people and somehow makes them seem extraordinary. She not only captures a moment, but manages to create 'life' through textures, colours and surfaces in the images. Not an easy feat to accomplish.
What I love most about her work are the fundamental ideas of searching for beauty, appreciation of culture and noticing the little things that make you smile or think. I'd like to think it's very similar to the things I love to try to bring out in my blog too.
Louise said, "Instead of presenting my photos as single images I wanted to present two photos side by side as diptychs with a caption as the third element. This would enable me to make a comment and tell a story without hitting someone over the head with the message. The diptychs could be humorous and light-hearted or more serious and thought provoking. Or they could just be two images that complemented one another through colour or composition."
Fun at the Park
I nearly pissed myself when I saw this one. Maybe it wasn't really meant to be that funny, but maybe I have a wry sense of humor.
She then was able to turn her electronic blog into a good old fashioned book. The book's 528 pages aims to dig deeper than the standard glossy brochures of Harbour Bridge or Opera House and show the non-postcard side of Sydney.
Louise - "It’s the hidden Sydney, the one that lives, loves and works beyond the clichés."
From blog to book to book signings to commissioned photographer to guest speaker at the Sydney Writers festival to an exhibition at the Museum of Sydney.
52 Suburbs Exhibition at Museum of Sydney
There are really so many beautiful things that all suburbs in Sydney and Australia have to offer and it's really fantastic to see a project like 52 Suburbs hopefully be able to give people the confidence to explore the real Sydney.
If you would like to meet Lousie Hawson, Dymocks will be hosting Louise Hawson in-store for a special Q&A and book-signing event for the recently published 52 Suburbs at Dymocks 424 George St Sydney.
Date: Thursday 26 May
Time: 6.00pm
Venue: Dymocks 424 George Street, Sydney
Cost: FREE
Love,
Festival Girl
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