On the subject of photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson writes, “To take photographs is to hold one's breath when all faculties converge in the face of fleeing reality.” The current climate is testament to a different kind of fleeing reality; the decay of our natural environment. Marnie Hawson’s photography converges storytelling with social responsibility.
“As a former environmental scientist, I'm hardwired to tread lightly in everything I do,” says Marnie. She was raised on acreage and was quickly absorbed by the romance of the Australian bush. “I was rarely allowed to watch TV and instead spent hours outdoors making cubbies out of branches, exploring gorges down the back of our property and hunting for yabbies in the dams.”
As Marnie explored the natural landscape, she developed a curious eye for detail while fine tuning a purpose-driven philosophy. At the beginning of her photography career, Marnie captured “an honest trade,” a series of portraits highlighting twenty trades. “They are all what I considered honest trades.” She explains, “Honest trades involve manual labour and hard work. To me, there is far more value in something that has had love and sweat poured into the production of it.” In a striking set of portraits titled Farrier, the blacksmith’s face disappears in a cloud of smoke as heats the horseshoe.
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