Artist statement:
This series explores the spaces that are destined to become new suburbs in the outer areas of Canberra, as it edges closer and closer toward the NSW border. The photos document the changing landscape as they transition from typical rural landscape to medium density housing estates. As the demand for housing continues to increase in our cities, more land and open spaces are being sacrificed to suburbia.
Before any sign of work begins the areas are completely fenced off, incarcerating the landscape before it is altered forever. The diggers move in and the land is cleared, before the construction of roads begins. I like to photograph these areas when the work has ceased temporarily, early in the winter mornings or on a Sunday when only the machines are left to watch over the sites. There is a silence and strange beauty in the land in this state of flux. Its reality is less alluring.
Chromogenic prints are printed on paper that has at least three emulsion layers containing invisible dyes and silver salts. Each emulsion layer is sensitive to a different primary colour of light (red, green or blue). The development process converts the hidden dyes to visible colour depending on the amount of light it was exposed to. This type of paper is commonly used to print from colour negatives or digital files to produce a full-colour image. It can also be used to print black-and-white images, giving softer grain and less contrast than gelatin silver prints. Commonly known as c-type prints, chromogenic processing was developed in the 1940s and widely used for colour printing, including for domestic snapshots. While recent years have seen this process accompanied by ink-jet and digital printing technologies, chromogenic printing still remains in use to this day.
