His new exhibition, Sense Of A City, is an array of stunning high-quality prints taken
in the city of Sydney.
Not only do they capture the sense and spirit of the city, on closer inspection
they portray a sense of time and place and the people in them are a symbol of
existence. “You might notice in my photographs, the working class of Sydney,” says Jack. “I
quite like photographing the character and the interest in the faces of
ordinary people.”
And he certainly can, as evidenced by his last
exhibition, Come As You Are, which
featured a stack of local identities. “I asked them to come as they are, how I
saw them,” he says. The photographs featured local people doing extraordinary
things, including a woman who lives across the road from Jack, who walks her
four dogs with her parasol each day.
From his neighbours to the city that surrounds
him, Jack is often motivated by his left-leaning politics as someone who is
concerned about social justice and the environment. “If I can use my
photography to make some sort of social improvement I will,” he says.
Other people have their own ways of campaigning
for what they believe in but for Jack it’s all in his photography. “That’s my
contribution so I’m more than happy to do it and continue to do it.” He reveals
that everything he knows about photography is self-taught and most of what he
produces he generously gives to non-government organisations and local
newspapers, like the SSH.
Having covered a broad section of Sydney Jack
believes there are still shots waiting to be snapped. “There’re still
photographs of the Harbour
Bridge that haven’t been
taken. Everyone will photograph something slightly different. I’m sure
someone’s going to come up one day with a view of the Harbour Bridge
that no one’s ever seen.”
For Redfern, the community Jack lives in, there
are some things he wants to stay the same, like the friendly faces he lives
among. However, he has hopes that the Block in Redfern becomes a centre for
Indigenous art and culture and “becomes a vibrant and healthy place for
Aboriginal people to live”. No doubt the images he produces will always
have a place in Redfern.
With substantial support from Pixel Perfect Pro
Lab, Jack is displaying his work, Sense
Of A City at Regard Gallery, 372
Wilson St Darlington
from June 13–29.
Photo: Jack Carnegie
Source:
South Sydney Herald June 2008 www.southsydneyherald.com.au