TALKING THROUGH YOUR ARTS – CLICK, CLICK, CLIQUE

As we amass towards gift-giving time for family and foe, the silent stills of a camera’s lens constantly blinks, evidencing our yearly history. These minuted moments give future sight to our past and present memories.

The anticipated book of photography Minutes to Midnight, has recently been released in time for Christmas and already requiring back orders. Newcastle has rendered a remarkable documenter in Magnum photographer Trent Parke.  It was 2003 when Trent Parke travelled Australia with his photographer wife Narelle Autio and a decade later we get an opportunity to put an incredible account of contemporary Australia to our identities.

These black and white pictures are as much dramatic as they are disturbing. These photographs as a national catalogue make for a disturbing calendar, however, a momentous pioneering exploration of Australia. Brooding images, scenes of inequality, death and decay are testimonials of an epic road journey. The sequencing of the 96-paged, book has been carried out with great deliberation and the German publishing house Steidl Verlag, have produced masterfully crafted prints. The market for first-rate photography in both traditional and experimental forms is in demand.

Meanwhile, in a spin are the heads of more Fairfax photojournalists who have been axed. Turning up the tails of the citizen journalist, the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), in a new community initiative to counter the loss of revenue in sales and advertising have a focused vision. Clique is a new photographic association, which manifests to “challenge, support and reward photographers of all ages and skillsets”. This newspaper image centre will have you tossing around photographic assignments specifically allocated by SMH photo-editors, in a whirl to enter monthly and annual prizes and in a rotation of workshops and seminars.

A trial was conducted earlier this year by SMH. As part of this year’s Reportage, a festival that showcases traditional and contemporary documentary photography, a partnered competition was established. The challenge for wannabe “news-takers” was to experience a photojournalist assignment. For a registration fee of $20, 1440 people had access to advice from photo-editors, camera prizes, and a finalist’s exhibition at the State Library. A follow-up feedback survey compiled by UTS Marketing Research School of Business was emailed in November, asking participants 26 questions ranging from general demographics, levels of camera ability, social media use, participation ratings and camera branding.

The latest community engagement double-sides your participation to become a member of Clique for $50.

What does all this amount to? The gift-horse has just bolted. (AS)

BY ANGELA STRETCH