The Assumption of Choice

Photographed over a period of nearly four years The Assumption of Choice is an exploration of the area surrounding my studio in Sydney’s Inner West. It was here I relocated to after twenty years in NY. I have a fascination with the paths we choose and where they lead us. Naturally, that feeds into my work. A decision we make today, right now, could redefine our future. That’s exactly how I ended up leaving New York and relocating – once again – to Sydney. The urge to document the area with fresh eyes was born from knowing that, before long, I would cease to see the newness of things – I would come to know it too well to notice. I worked intuitively, I reacted to what drew my attention and allowed myself to stumble upon things. I tried to let the images come to me rather than chase them. While walking from the industrial area immediately surrounding the studio to banks of the Cooks River, with thoughts of Brooklyn and parts of the Grand Union Canal near my childhood home in England filling my head, I wondered why we are drawn to that which feels familiar. Are we destined to return to what we know, even if our life has changed dramatically?