Two Newcastle photographers trying to change the narrative around ageing and ageism are taking their fight to Sydney's Head On Photo Festival.
Melanie Muddle and Hannah Robinson's photo-storytelling project, And Then, They Were No Longer Visible, features the remarkable life stories and experiences of Australians over the age of 70.
It is a long-term, multi-site, socially-engaged, community storytelling project designed to create spaces for new narratives around ageing, isolation and ageism. The project has been shared through community-based, large-scale paste-up exhibitions and is supported by digital storytelling via their online StoryBank.
The first instalment was completed between February and April last year and featured elders from Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.
Muddle said it was upsetting to hear her own grandfather say: "People don't think I'm good for anything anymore, people don't see me". Similarly, many of the people photographed for the project didn't feel their story or voice was worthy of being heard.
"We engage in photography as a social-practice, inviting participation and connection with communities to support them to explore their own stories," the pair wrote.
"The vision of this project is to use photo-storytelling and cultural-preservation practices to develop social and creative connections and experiences with older people in diverse communities.
"We've successfully delivered this project in five locations across NSW including Newcastle, Redhead, Raymond Terrace and Bathurst (in partnership with Bathurst Regional Art Gallery), and we are about to start the project in Wallsend (with the support of the City of Newcastle and the Wallsend Business Improvement Association)."
Which photographs from And Then, They Were No Longer Invisible have you chosen for the Head On Photo Festival?
Each of the communities involved in our projects are unique. While the project has some overarching, consistent principles, we approach each community with an open mind, allowing the people involved to guide the project. This is the beauty of working in a place-led, people-led way. For this reason, we've chosen to exhibit our Newcastle-Redhead project at the Head On Photo Festival, to honour those specific communities and the ways in which they chose to tell their stories. Our collection is growing significantly as we continue to work towards developing a historically significant archival body of work that represents the stories and diverse lived experiences of older generations.
What is the significance to you both, as photographers, to have your work featured at Head On?
Having our work exhibited as part of the Head On Photo Festival is a privilege. We were so excited to hear that we were selected to be one of the feature exhibitors. Head On is one of Australian's leading photographic festivals and we admire the work the team passionately undertake to support local and international photographers. In particular, we're looking forward to elevating the awareness of socially-engaged approaches to image making and the delicate balance of ethics, care and aesthetics that informs our approach.
Have you had much feedback since you first began the project? Anything that could lead to changes in the way older Australians are heard?
When we started, we believed that supporting people to share their stories would make space for conversations and that this dialogue would be important in some way. This belief continues to drive us forward.
Can our projects lead to changes in the way older Australians are heard? We certainly hope so. We also know that responsibility for this change sits with all of us. We carry the responsibly of making space for conversations of creating conditions where change may occur, but it's up to all of us to champion broad change.
The response to our work has been remarkable. We've been deeply impacted by the work and we've seen first hand the flow on of the project in the personal lives of participants and their families. For this particular project, we've found that the participants' sense of being seen and that their stories are worthy of inclusion. People viewing the work can see their own stories on the walls, a sense of value, worthiness and care transported through the images and words shared.
We've watched people stand in laneways deeply touched by the work, starting conversations with those around them, reaching out to bring family and friends to see the collection. We've seen people revisiting exhibitions over and over again to soak it all in, to feel it all. We've welcomed difficult conversations about inclusion, racism, ageism, discrimination, funding and our approach whilst installing and de-installing the work. We've received loads of message and solid feedback that reminds us of the importance of this work. We're also seeing recognition within the photographic community, like our inclusion in the Head On Photo Festival. We sense that the broad value of the work is being acknowledged.
Have you kept in touch with your And Then subjects?
Absolutely. Even as we've prepared the images for the Head On Photo Festival event we've reconnected and been reminded that the relationships developed through these projects are lasting. There's a beautiful level of sharing and vulnerability that unfolds in our projects - back and forth between ourselves and the people who choose to take part. We've also found that relationships with family members also continue, especially as participants continue to age. Our early projects were undertaken in our own communities, so we often see people around the suburb and it's wonderful to reconnect.
