In early November I purchased All of Us by Michel Lawrence, a Melbourne based photographer who specialises in portraiture. This is my second encounter, my first was in June when I purchased it for work. Then it made an impact on me. All of Us is a collection of large format colour photographs of immigrants and refugees who have made Australia their home. Michel, in the two years he worked on this project, had a number of goals, but chiefly to "... understand more about Australia today and the people who live here." And the catalyst for this journey - seeing the Cornulla Beach riots of December 2005 on the TV news.
The book connected with me for multiple reasons. At the first viewing (for work) it sold itself with its short and snappy biographies of the people who make up Australia, there was a genuine attempt to find people from all corners of the globe; this might speak to, and connect with some of the students enrolled in ESOL, TPC, welfare/social work courses at my VET college. And finally, for the fine arts students, the portraiture offered good examples of photography that says someting.
Last month at my second look my reasons for liking it were far more complex and personal. While filling in time browsing in a bookshop the cover again caught my eye. The stories of the people, and in particular of the author's father, Maxie, had paralells with my own father. Maxie survivied the Pacific War, and came to Australia in 1946 "because it seemed new and safe"; my father arrived in October 1949 as a refugee from the European War, Australia was a place to start a new life and a haven from the chaos and suffering and uncertainty he had gone through between 1941 and 1948. Many of the biographies in the book are laced with the theme of Australia as a place of safety.
I am also deeply interested in photography and to me many of the photographs tell their own stories. Many show the quiet dignity of the subjects; other portraits show an edginess and wariness in the subject; several people show an obvious pride in their backgrounds and culture and in living in Australia. In short, the shots have an impact as documentary photography.
This book I could relate to, through my understanding of my father's (and mother's) experiences. All of Us shows to me that many others shared similar experiences, heartaches and joys, and found a home in Australia. It helps me better understand my country and her people, in that realising that I concluded that Michel Lawrence succeeded in the task he set himself. I have one criticism of the book: the majority of the subjects came from Melbourne and its environs and not all over the country.
Bibilographic/Availability & Price details:
All of Us / Michel Lawrence. Melbourne, Vic. : Scribe, 2008 (ISBN: 9781921215193 - in hardback; price $AUD 59.95).
There is a companion website at http://www.allofus.com.au/
The book connected with me for multiple reasons. At the first viewing (for work) it sold itself with its short and snappy biographies of the people who make up Australia, there was a genuine attempt to find people from all corners of the globe; this might speak to, and connect with some of the students enrolled in ESOL, TPC, welfare/social work courses at my VET college. And finally, for the fine arts students, the portraiture offered good examples of photography that says someting.
Last month at my second look my reasons for liking it were far more complex and personal. While filling in time browsing in a bookshop the cover again caught my eye. The stories of the people, and in particular of the author's father, Maxie, had paralells with my own father. Maxie survivied the Pacific War, and came to Australia in 1946 "because it seemed new and safe"; my father arrived in October 1949 as a refugee from the European War, Australia was a place to start a new life and a haven from the chaos and suffering and uncertainty he had gone through between 1941 and 1948. Many of the biographies in the book are laced with the theme of Australia as a place of safety.
I am also deeply interested in photography and to me many of the photographs tell their own stories. Many show the quiet dignity of the subjects; other portraits show an edginess and wariness in the subject; several people show an obvious pride in their backgrounds and culture and in living in Australia. In short, the shots have an impact as documentary photography.
This book I could relate to, through my understanding of my father's (and mother's) experiences. All of Us shows to me that many others shared similar experiences, heartaches and joys, and found a home in Australia. It helps me better understand my country and her people, in that realising that I concluded that Michel Lawrence succeeded in the task he set himself. I have one criticism of the book: the majority of the subjects came from Melbourne and its environs and not all over the country.
Bibilographic/Availability & Price details:
All of Us / Michel Lawrence. Melbourne, Vic. : Scribe, 2008 (ISBN: 9781921215193 - in hardback; price $AUD 59.95).
There is a companion website at http://www.allofus.com.au/
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