Up in the sky consists of 25 images, making it one of Moffatt’s largest photographic series. The wide range of characters, captured in different scenarios, suggests a narrative of epic proportions, but there is no beginning, middle and end to lead the viewer through this story. Moffatt’s photographs function like film stills, highlighting poignant scenes in a larger drama that is never fully disclosed.

This series takes many of its visual cues from Italian neorealist cinema of the 1960s. Moffatt has even followed the neorealist method of shooting on location. She shot this series around Broken Hill in New South Wales with non-professional actors, to achieve a gritty realism. By employing this no-nonsense aesthetic, Moffatt creates an air of seriousness in her images. The series touches on issues of race and religion and some of the images allude more specifically to the Stolen Generations.

(2016)