walls, stations and procrastination

 A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993
transparency in light box, unique state
250 x 397

I went to Jeff Wall's exhibition at the NGV on Thursday afternoon. It was pouring rain after a day of muggy heat, sweat and headaches. It was half an hour before the gallery closed so I swiftly walked around the exhibition, being immersed in the photographer's work. 

The photo above was my favourite work of all. Apart from the size of the photos, the medium which they were printed on ultimately inspired me. I had heard of transparencies in light boxes but I had never seen them before Thursday. They truly bring a photograph to life in a way that I could never have envisioned. It added a new dimension, like I was watching a still from a film rather than something frozen on paper. 

I like Wall's approach to photography, as his concepts come from life. He creates whimsy scenes from ordinary events he sees in real life, and dramatises them into what he calls 'cinematography'.

This concept really made me appreciate the small, meticulous details of life. how inanimate objects are placed on a table, or how a girl's room can look after her wardrobe has been emptied onto the floor. 

I left Melbourne earlier than expected, as the weather was so horrible I had to cancel the second photo shoot that I had planned at sunset. I waited patiently on the train station, snacking occasionally on a delicious burrito I bought before leaving Southbank. I lingered over little photos posted by Nirrimi of her daughter Alba, and watched commuters rush for their trains, ignoring the busy world around them. The heat of the day affected my head and my thoughts were dazed, the world slow. I was the only one on the carriage of the train I took home, and relished the quiet pull of the carriage through the night.