FotoFreo takes place in the city of Fremantle this coming March and along with it comes the promise of some truly amazing exhibitions. The likes of Claire Martin’s Slab City landscapes, Carrie Levy’s exploration of male identity and David Dare Parker’s look into the cultural history of Fremantle’s clubs are just some of the photographic delights on offer.
In Slab City, Martin ventures in to the achingly brittle heart of the Colorado Desert. The subject matter of her exhibition are the desert dwellers: residents of a squatters’ community who are dubbed as living in the worst conditions in America.
‘Slab City lies near the border of the Salton Sea area,’ Martin explained of how she came to find this place. ‘I noticed it on this trip and knew that it would be a really interesting place to photograph. A year latter I returned as a part of a road trip across the States. I pitched my tent, dug a latrine and settled into life as a desert squatter, with my camera around my neck. I always try to seek out subject matter that challenge my understanding of the world and people who think or live differently to me.
‘It was a challenging place to live, with no access to waste disposal, sewage, running fresh water and 40 degree desert heat. I took to showering under a tap at the back of the supermarket in the nearest town, and hanging out some days at the truck stop just to get some air conditioning. Most challenging was hearing many of the stories that brought people to live in poverty like this in the USA.’
In Levy’s Carrie Levy / Selected Works, notions of male psychology are examined and explored. ‘There is a moment of surrender that occurs for my subjects and this fascinates me,’ Levy said of the work she has created. ‘They almost relax and allow me to take this control for time period and possibly enjoy the moment on a subconscious level.’
So what has Levy discovered in the process of photographing this exhibition? ‘That the power of a photograph is controlled by the viewer. But the photographer is a manipulator of its subjects. Therefore all my photographs are going to be about my small vision in that given moment. I think we often take advantage of how strong a role a photographer can play in society, especially now that we are all photographers.’
For Dare Parker, the subject matter of his exhibition – Fremantle Club – was actually chosen for him by FotoFreo Chair, Bob Hewitt. ‘It had been brought to Bob’s attention that the Fremantle Club was about to close,’ Dare Parker explained.
‘He thought that by commissioning me to photograph all the major Fremantle Clubs, we would not only be creating an exhibition for our Festival, we would also be providing the City of Fremantle with an important historical record of a long established, but possibly threatened, Freo tradition.
Dare Parker said the club reminded him of his childhood but that, unlike his memories, there were few children or young members in attendance, forming their own new memories.
‘With no fresh blood coming in, and an ageing membership, these clubs will struggle to survive,’ he concluded. ‘As one member said to me recently, “we have been going to a lot of funerals lately, and very few are joining up to replace the members we loseâ€.’
For a complete listing of these exhibitions and the entire FotoFreo programme, go to www.fotofreo.com. FotoFreo opens in Fremantle on March 20 and runs until April 18.
Scott-Patrick Mitchell
