State Library Victoria is taking a selection of powerful photos on tour across regional Victoria, showing the impact of COVID-19 and the 2019-20 bushfires.
Announcing the State of Change: Rural & regional stories from 2020 touring exhibition, Acting Head of Collection Development and Description at State Library, Toni Burton said the photographs were an important addition to the State’s collection.
“The series of images was captured as part of a pilot documentary photography project undertaken by the Library’s collection team and proposed by photographer John Rodsted, to capture the huge impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and 2019-2020 bushfires on Victoria’s rural and regional communities,” Ms Burton said.
“Photographers Tiffany Garvie, Fabiana Guerreiro, Aldona Kmieć and James Wiltshire worked with their own regional Victorian communities in East Gippsland, High Country and along the Great Ocean Road to portray the unique issues they faced and the experiences they shared throughout 2020,” she said.
“We are thrilled that this project resulted in over 350 digital images, showing a side of the community that only a local could capture.”
Curator at the Library, Jade Hadfield said she was excited to share these powerful images of rural and regional Victorians in their own communities.
Ms Hadfield said two selections of photographs would be displayed in different parts of Victoria.
“The images chosen will relate to the surrounding area of each regional library they’re displayed at, alongside others that are relevant to all Victorians,” Ms Hadfield said.
“These photographs bring the lived experience of rural and regional communities to the forefront and capture vital records of contemporary life at a time of major change,” she said.
“We can’t wait to share a selection of them with the people who live in the places they depict.”
Ms Hadfield said the first selection was now showing in Colac until 29 August, before it moved on to Geelong from 29 August – 29 September.
The Curator said the second selection would be exhibited in Bright from 11 July – 10 October.
Further information on the State of Change: Rural & regional stories from 2020 touring exhibition can be accessed at this PS News link.
