Artist statement: My series Livin’ the dream imagines the impact of dislocation and the inequality with which Aboriginal Australians continue to live. An Aboriginal nuclear family is transplanted into a remote outback community, bringing with them aspirational ‘white’ accoutrements – the swimming pool, a boat, and smart clothes. However, their facial expressions and stillness describe the discomfort created by their removal from the familiar. The subject of ‘Birthday’ (image #3 of this series of six) is a celebratory event for the family, with a cake, cold drinks, and time by their pool – but appears to bring none of the joy that we may expect. Dysfunction is an almost inevitable result of displacement. The connection of identity to place evoked by ‘Birthday’ is universal.
www.michaelcook.net.au
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
