Visual Instincts
Each series explores the works of Australia's contemporary photographers. It also includes 'After Two Hundred Years' which documents the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life in the late 1980's.The series features talented photographers Fiona Hall, Emmanuel Angelicas, Jon Lewis, Max Pam and Grant Mudford.
Episode 1 - Emmanuel Angelicas
Emmanuel Angelicas was born and raised in Marrickville – a tough neighbourhood. In his photographs we are seeing images formed by the fashion studio and the streets of Marrickville rather than the bush or Bondi. He enforces his style through his sense of composition of centring graphic impact and by a particular detachment from his surroundings.
‘I had a show of my Marrickville work at the Prinz Gallery in Kyoto. It was interesting because the Japanese saw my Marrickville as very exotic and dangerous. My stars of the street they felt were aliens from another planet wheras, for me, Tokyo belongs on another planet.’ - Emmanuel Angelicas
Episode 2 - Jon Lewis
Jon Lewis lives in Sydney and is a Paparazzi with a human face. It is his scrutiny of the bright lights and big city of Sydney that singles him out as an outstanding chronicler of the sharp and of public Australia.
‘If someone labels me a humanist photographer I feel very flattered indeed.’ - Jon Lewis
Episode 3 - Fiona Hall
Fiona Hall is an Australian photographer living in Adelaide. She is essentially a photographic artist who deals with two separate realities. One is the outside world of the beach and land which she handles in large format ‘photo-purism’ and the other the internal world of the mind which she portrays in strange and powerfully-original, flat surface psychodramas.
‘I’m informed everyday by switching on the evening news, by looking at the newspaper, by reading current art magazines, by observing events around me – I think my work reflects this.’ - Fiona Hall
Episode 4 - After Two Hundred Years
After Two Hundred Years documents the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life in Australia in the late 1980’s.
‘Aboriginal collaboration is evident in the mood of the collection. There is vitality and an exuberance in so many of the images which is absent from other representations. People interact with the photographer with one another, they respond, challenge, laugh and perform for the camera.’ - After Two Hundred Years Project.
Episode 5 - Max Pam
Max Pam was born in Melbourne in 1949. First drawn to Asia by the ideological movements of the 1960’s, Max Pam was 19 when he took the road to Katmandu. Through the following two turbulent decades, he has travelled and photographed main street Asia. Since 1984, Pam has worked on body of New Australian photographs which scrutinises and re-defines life on the move.
‘Finally, it comes back to the question of what does photography mean to me. About 99.9 per cent of photography is about that moment of taking the picture and that means everything to me.’ - Max Pam
Episode 6 - Grant Mudford
Grant Mudford born in 1944, now resides in Los Angeles. His work is large format and is a redefined dedication to formalism and the man-made structure in the American landscape.
‘I have a lot of respect for almost everything. There is a reason why it is here and I try to make no judgements in any of my photographs.’ - Grant Mudford
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‘Delightful’
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"... already acknowledged as the world's most exciting visual and physical theatre company...the reason to go and see Stalker is the way they marry jaw dropping spectacle with real purpose."
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“The great achievement of Lobster Tales, a delightfully oddball WA-made documentary on the lucrative local crayfish industry ... strikes such a lovely balance between the lobsters and fishermen that it’s more like a well-wrought tragi-comedy than a traditional nature doco"
“Even for non-lobster-lovers, this quirky feature provides plenty of interest ... the highlight is the underwater photography by Leighton de Barros which is up-close and stunning."
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“A sense of reconciliation emerges in the program and there's considerable poignancy as elements of a family torn apart by war, politics and circumstance are reunited…"
“This is the compelling story of a family torn apart by war, envy, corruption and greed and how a quest for answers also helped heal old wounds. It might also help people look beyond the descriptions "refugee" and "asylum seeker" to see the person and their story…A powerful piece of television, made more authentic by Ziusudras' first-hand narration of this tale.”
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"A remarkable story and a clever and affecting piece of storytelling"
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Koori queens proudly get out and about in this high-spirited and affirming documentary."
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"Considering the double whammy served up by homophobia and racism, Sissy insists on having a good time while handling thought-provoking material."
[Shaun Micallef’s] quest to discover if there is ‘‘greater purpose than being a semi-professional Australian TV personality’’ makes for a funny and watchable journey.
Filled with wit, warmth and revelations, Stairway To Heaven will intrigue even non-believers.
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“It's the perfect mix of history and celebrity..."
"... this program has about it a quiet authenticity that allows the subject’s story to unfold of its own accord."
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This series is fascinating and so well done...
(pick of the week)
"... explores the family histories of its subjects with class and humour. Verdict: A Hit."