Vernacular

In the collection Welcome Home, the task was approached to document the details that give insight to the atmosphere of the house, the identity of its family members, and principally the elements that make a house a home. As the project is void of true subjects, the inclusion of old photographs, suggests the passage of time, and signifies the value of personal photographs within the home. The panoramic photograph depicts the farmhouse in its establishing days, and although it can be interpreted as a personal photograph, it could also be classified as a document in its function, depending on the context in which it is being used for. Along with industrial styles of vernacular photography, so too is the use of personal and anonymous photographs, which in this context are situating where we are, who we are looking at, and starting to imply connections between the old and the new; the past and present.

Throughout the series, the images have been sequenced to create a sense of rhythm, intentionally focusing on specific details that enable connections to be drawn and engage the viewers interest by evoking a sense of curiosity in the evolving scenes. Imagery of advertisements are also subject matter for the vernacular approach and within this context, graphic elements, denote the country of interest and pose reflection on past cultural trends, that have influenced this home, and Australian country homes in general.

The photographs from the early 1900s, would have been accepted as true and accurate renditions of reality and its subjects, in a naturalistic documentation. Although we are aware, that these types of photographs were highly staged and posed. Furthermore, photography was not as simple to capture, as digital photography is today, and this variation once again contrasts the idea of past and present influences. Even though the camera is a mechanical recording device, it only captures representations of the world, but these influence our perspectives of reality, and the context obtained by each individual reader is interpretational from our habitus, which informs how we read an image. The way in which we socially, culturally, and personally perceive and react to the world around us. The interpretation of meaning, within photography can be personal and based on pre-existing knowledge, or our individual beliefs. Or even as refined from our own personal taste. All these ideas can alter the perceived value of photography.

When imaging the everyday, the photographs adopt an expression or representation in meaning, beyond just denoting its physical nature. Meaning can be interpreted in different ways, for example the photograph of a door handle, could be viewed as suggesting an action to be taken. As could the photograph of the window – connoting for the viewer to peer through. This concept of vernacular enables the viewer to interpret meaning from their own perspective.

The images within the sequence have portrayed space, family, and aspects of Australian heritage and cultural trends, and to contrast against this singular identity, suggestions of travel, and the orient, introduce a new perspective to the evolving concept.

Photographer and theorist, Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, argued that photography was not an art but that this was, its strength. Additionally, photography does not just transmit facts, but indeed creates them through the process. By sequencing the suitcase, alongside family photographs, the contrast of different perspectives of Australian identity are implied and emerge into the idea of immigration.

As Eastlake stated, “Every form which is traced by light is the impress of one great moment, or one hour, or one age in the great passage of time” (Wells, 2015, p. 17). Photography can document moments in time; however, it cannot guarantee the relevance or importance of any given image. There is no doubt, that the progression of technology has influenced the nature of reading imagery and defining its truth or manipulation, and these are considerations that we need to evaluate.

As Liz Wells notes, “The photographic image was to be a reflexive, self-conscious medium which revealed its own, particular properties to the viewer,” (2015, p. 21). This is my great appreciation for photography, in that it encompasses, technicalities and aesthetics, in a practice that is experienced by the photographer, in an in-depth process. Within the contemporary fields, the critical analysis of the vernacular style enables us as viewers to ask big questions that directly influence our experience, such as – what does this mean to me and how does it change my view of the world?

Photography has ultimately shaped modernism, influencing the way in which we communicate, and enabling reflection on memories, historically and metaphorically, through visual interpretations that are unique for every reader.

Laroche, H. (2020). Observation as photography: A metaphor. M@n@gement 2020. 23(3): 79-99. https://management-aims.com/index.php/mgmt/article/view/5513/11260

Wells, L. (Ed.). (2015). Photography : A critical introduction. ProQuest Ebook Central. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/csuau/reader.action?docID=1968918&ppg=36