Ashley Kelam, skew-whiff (LANDSCAPE 2022)

Images are from my 2021 series, ‘skew-whiff.’ ‘skew-whiff’ presents the familiar and common place that many call home: Suburbia. The long form documentary project attempts to reveal the often seen, yet occasionally overlooked, suburban landscape; endeavouring to twist the narrative of the environment’s frequently perceived mundaneness or banality to reveal a place of beautiful and humorous fleeting moments. Driven by an intuitive process through walking around, observing and capturing the residential areas near where I have always lived, ‘skew-whiff’ investigates the chance encounters in everyday environments that so many come across, yet pass by, without a second glance. Primarily photo-based, the project also utilises ephemera, including found and collected objects, to reflect upon the ways in which the general public has misunderstood the suburban landscape, and to examine my own fond experience of growing up and living in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. I invite viewers to spend time engaging with my insightful observations of a seemingly prosaic, yet quirky, colourful and a surprisingly, rich world. This work was made on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to Elders both past, present and emerging.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.