Dimensions in Time -
59 McLean Parade

Jenny Carter White

21 March - 3 May 2005
Redland Art Gallery, Capalaba

My interest in photography began as a child of 8 years old when I first began documenting family life, as I experienced it, in suburban Brisbane.

As a mother of four, including twins, and one of five siblings, I have come to realise the importance of not only documenting family life but also the relationships that surround it. The significance of the ‘family album’ and its influence on both memory and who we become as individuals has now become an integral part of my research and practice.

Over the past six years both my research and art practice has concentrated on the role the photographs we choose to include in our ‘family albums’ play in shaping who we are and who we become. I am interested in how these photographs, both positive and negative, leave their imprint on our memory allowing us not only access to these mental images throughout our lives but also any associated thoughts and feelings that may accompany them. Photographs influence not only the memories of those individuals involved but also society and how we see ourselves as Australians.

We are our present and our past, through photography we gain an insight and understanding of who we are and why. We can collect our memories, which can be shared with those we love and passed down through future generations. Photographs are proof of our existence.

Dimensions in Time  [PDF 775KB]

Image: Jenny Carter-white, Hide n Seek 2002, C type print and black and white print. Courtesy of the artist.