Greetings, SuperForest!
After living in Sydney for more than 30 years, Louise Hawson realised she’d hardly set foot in most of its 600+ suburbs. So she set herself an interesting goal: To find and photograph the beauty of 52 suburbs over 52 weeks (which incidentally makes for a very cool photographic blog). Through wonderfully insightful photographs, Louise reminded me – a fellow Sydneysider – of the beauty I fail to notice on a daily basis. This subsequently reminded me of the “dancing plastic bag” scene in American Beauty.
Louise writes: “So, Redfern. Small suburb, big themes. So much so I could have easily hung around another week. Another month. I lived there for a few years as a uni student. And, of course, I’ve driven through it since, on my way to wherever. But once again, it wasn’t until I spent hours in the place, walking without speed, eyes wide open, that I realised I hadn’t really seen Redfern or thought about what it represents for a long time, maybe not ever.”
SF: How has the habit of looking for beauty influenced you in your daily life? “Searching out the beauty in the ordinary means I focus, literally, on things that I think contribute in a good way to our surrounds. It’s not ignoring the ‘bad’ or pretending it doesn’t exist. It’s just saying, even amongst the less appealing, you can find good stuff. To me, this applies to everything, from architecture to people. How it influences me in my daily life? I guess I look out for the good and edit out the bad. It makes me a happier person I imagine. It might even make me walk more slowly and not rush as much, even when I don’t have a camera in hand.”
You can check out Louise’s blog here. Feel free to leave a comment on her site. ”Each one is like a little gift,” she says.
April
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