Journeys North

surrealism. But, photographers have noticed that the world really is silly, odd, dichotomised'. 6 Charles Page found interesting contrasts and incongruities amongst the people he photographed. He was particularly fascinated by two women who drive the enormous trucks at the Weipa mine. Like photographers before him, such as Diane A:bus, .he was intrigued by the fact that these women are identical twins who work, live and travel together. Amongst the noise and activity of the mines, he has captured a surprisingly serene image of the sisters floating in the local swimming pool. As well as the tranquil nature of the scene, the water evokes a womb-like quality which reinforces the relationship between the two women. Lin Martin says of the people she encountered in her travels north that '. ..it seemed that you meet a lot of people who by urban standards and by southern standards, you'd say were eccentric. But, for me, I saw them as being exceptional because they knew how they wanted to live and they created their own environments in that way. 7 For example,Bobby Lees, sculptor/ perfarmer/builder, Sunshine Beach depicts a young. Englishman with large fibreglass shark underarmm front of his own 'handmade' castle, completely happy with the life which he has created for himself in Queensland.ElviraCarmillaAili, retired,Brisbane. portrays an elderly Italian woman surrounded by family photographs from Italy and her husband's paintings. Martin says of this image, 'This became for me a very important statement about living in Queensland. Because for them, even though they loved the place, I'm sure they never really lived here. Because they constructed a whole - all these pictures are actually the village they grew up in in Italy.' 8 Journeys North contains many images which are positive about life in Queensland, however one also senses concern about issues such as the fragility of the natural environment and the experiences of some Aboriginal communities. Max Pam reveals the great natural diversity to be found in Queensland. 'Only in the State of Queensland do you have a tropical, desert, sea reef island, rainforest land, a land that shimmers with sensual geophysical display: 9 The vulnerability of such areas is stressed in photographs such as Waste liquid pouring into theN.Q. coast. Charles Page examines the effects that the mining industry is having on the natural landscape. He selected mining as the theme of his portfolio because of its importance to Queensland's economy and its effect on our lifestyle. In photographs such as that of sunlight reflecting on craters of polluted water, Page creates an ironically beautiful image from a scene of destruction and pollution. As he says, 'You're often faced with this moral dilemma, of something that looks quite hideous but becomes quite beautiful when it's photographed in a certain way with the light skimming across it. But, its beauty is deceptive because it's in fact very very ugly; 10 Page is also intrigued by the ar~ificial and transient landscapes which are created by hills of earth which appear and disappear as the mining continues. Lin Martin found that the majority of statements made by her subjects to accompany their portraits were v~ry positive about living in Queensland. The overall feelmg was one of freedom and the ability to choose one's own life. A number of people, however, expressed concern about Queensland's environmental future. Martin herself sees Queensland as one of the most beautiful areas of Australia and one which has been damaged in the past from lack of awareness of its unique qualities. A number of people who she was involved with in this project expressed similar concern about the effects of development, mining and tourism on the land. Robert Mercer became aware of the fact that the rich Aboriginal culture which he witnessed could easily disappear as younger generations were increasingly being influenced byWestern values and culture. He wished to portray the vitality and energy of these people and to express the hope that their culture could be reserved despite these difficulties. Some of his photographs show the pride ofAboriginal people in their body markings and the energy which they express in their traditional dances, while other photographs are thoughtful portrait studies ofAboriginal men or women which reflect the lack of direction and confusion experienced with the meeting of black and white cultures. 9