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Old New World: Photographs By Mary MacphersonStock informationGeneral Fields
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DescriptionChange in New Zealand society, seen in small towns throughout the North and South Islands, is the subject of Mary Macpherson's Old New World photographic book and touring exhibition. The in-depth study by Wellington-based photographer Mary Macpherson took seven years of travel around New Zealand to create. Lopdell House Gallery in Auckland has published the 96 page hardback book. It will be launched on 14 June 2012 with an exhibition of over 40 images of Macpherson's work to coincide with the Auckland Festival of Photography. The striking colour photographs feature buildings, houses, statues and murals to tell the story of a shift from the remains of the traditional New Zealand of the 1950s and 60s to places of boom and prosperity that look very different to our remembered past. "Within that major story arc, I wanted to show the major social and economic trends I saw over the seven years - towns painting up the main street to attract custom and celebrate their identity, places that remained resolutely themselves and those that were heading into decline," said Mary Macpherson. Reviews“I also became very interested in the way an instant ‘New Zealandness’ had sprung up in murals, advertisements and public artworks, often drawing on national or regional history. These things, combined with older identity symbols such as war memorials, seem to be saying ‘hello, this is us, this is our public expression of who we are, or where we’ve come from’,” Ms Macpherson said. Author descriptionMary Macpherson is a photographer and poet. Born in Dunedin and living in Wellington she has exhibited and published photographs for over 30 years. Her exhibitions span dealer and public galleries throughout New Zealand and her work is held in corporate and public collections including Te Papa Tongarewa, the Sarjeant Art Gallery and others. She also has an MA in Creative Writing from Victoria University and her poetry collections include The Inland Eye, Pemmican Press, and Millionaire’s Shortbread, OUP (joint collection). |