Within the City of Canberra....

Within the City of Canberra

Note: This collection of images consists of a majority of new photographs made primarily with this assignment in mind, These photos in particular are the ones of the city space its self. I then used photos not intended for this project which conveniently helped me paint my perception of the space photographed, these were made with a smaller camera much easier to capture natural actions within the spaces chosen. Each image compliments each other as an idea of space with the city, and as a body suggests the dynamic environment of Canberra.

For inspiration of this project, the following quotes from Calvino’s Invisible Cities, Cities and Memory 3 motivated the path I took for these series of images regarding the city of Canberra.

“As this wave from memories flows in, the city soaks it up like a sponge and expands…”

“The city, However does not tell its past, but contains it like lines on a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps, the antennae of the lightning rods, the poles of the flags, every segment marked in turn with scratches, indentations, scrolls”

(Calvino, 1997)

Through the presented images, I have aimed to put forward a body of interrelated images that represent the city as a place to live, with direct links to ideas of space within the city and what may occupy this space at any given time. In order to gather depth and understanding within my photos about different aspects of city living and different characteristics of urban space. I chose to use the environment within and close to my house situated on university campus, which conveniently slowly bleeds its self into the suburbs and the traditional dynamics of a suburb centre. Instead of basing this project primarily around a certain idea about the city, these photos aim to show the dynamic and open ended environment that Canberra presents towards its population. The relationship between man made and natural environments are very apparent throughout the Canberra region, with large amounts of beautiful bush land in amongst the city’s urban influence, giving Canberra its own individual charisma. This project has allowed me to Investigate the ways in how a city influences direction of its population as the use of a city as a complete system, the relevance of each part of the functioning city influences the way in which the environment is set (Krier, 2009). In order to bring relevance within my own eyes, and convey the most powerful understanding of the dynamics of space within the city of Canberra, I decided to undertake many short derives specifically travelling by foot or bicycle with the main point being that I would be more engaged with the dynamic city environment, letting different aspects of its space to draw me into the relevance and use of the studied spaces (Debord, 1981).

With this mentality I went out with my camera with no intentions, once I was outside the city’s path took me, with the idea of space and environment within the city I put together what I know about my home environment and applied it to ideas on how one uses the city for different purposes. I was drawn into past experiences and relationships with certain areas and spaces of the city, relating the space with my past use and comparing it to a un suggestive nature that the very same space presented to me as I approached it again. Within the lonely presence of the cities un-occupied spaces a portrait of the location space was made, bringing character into the now unrevealing space, which I once knew to be filled with life and action. Instead of being present in the urban space with company occupying, I was now alone with the space itself and all it had to reveal to me. Looking at spaces within a city brings a new aroma of just what the city’s spaces have seen in the past, present and what it will see in the future. Much of the bush land which I adventured through was occupied by countless kangaroo’s grazing on the healthy pasture situated 100 meters from countless humans comfortably living in their own accommodation indulging in technology, shelter, comfort and the like. As the city lets you wander, its paths lead you to a wide array of alternatives, the path opens its self up to you, you can end up in a somewhat strictly allocated space of like minded beings participating at the local skate park, or on the opposite side of the path an open space of parkland is available to walk your dog, ride your bike or simply enjoy the beauty of the day. As the city takes you further into its own suburb centre, you are presented with shops and eventually swallowed by a huge monstrous structure, a shopping mall. This structure is full of people, although its huge concrete barriers don’t reveal much, inside is an environment full of consumer driven motives, and at times existing within this space provides one with different contextual journeys in any instance, these spaces are used in many different ways by many different people.

A essence of inside/outside life has been addressed as part of the message I am trying to convey within this body of work, with city living giving and taking the opportunity to spend leisure time outside. The congestion of city living may force one to only to associate their special relationships with their own environment at home, or alternatively the infrastructure within the city’s environment such as Parks/bike Paths etc invite residences to be drawn into the city’s attractions and environment providing and encouraging means for recreation activities for residences (humanimpact.org). So through the process’s of achieving these photographs I have allowed myself to explore the dynamics of the urban environment offered to my local community, and has led me to the opportunity of identifying the existence and use of different spaces.

Douglas Taylor

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