1953 was a good year. It was the year that inspired the birth of these images. The 1953 Series was created using the Chemigram Process, a process whereby silver gelatin printing paper is coated with a resist, then processed using traditional darkroom chemistry. The resulting photograph is abstract, and the organic nature of these prints replicates the process of giving birth. That is, the flaws and quirks that develop in these images are much like those that may be appear in a growing child—each has their own personality and individual characteristics.
Note: The images on the following pages have been digitally reproduced from their original unique print state, measuring 10×8 inches.
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About the Contributor
Dawn Fahey is a practising visual artist, and a PhD student at Western Sydney University in the School of Humanities and Communication Arts. The title of her research thesis is “Visualising Empathy: An Alchemist in the Landscape.” Fahey was the creator and producer of the Contemporary Australian Family Photographic Project, an exhibition and book publication that toured throughout Australia as well as Bogota, Colombia. The book of the same name won the 2012 APPA AIPP photography book of the year, and the 2012 HP Asia Pacific Japan Digital Consumer photography book of the year. Fahey was creator and producer of Picturing the Orchestral Family: the Sydney Youth Orchestra Project, an exhibition and book publication that toured NSW to help the SYO celebrate its 40th birthday in 2013. Fahey’s visual arts practice highlights an intense curiosity between self and other. As an exploration of the intersection between cultural immersion, light, identity, landscape, personal meanings, time and sensibility, Fahey’s work seeks to find emotional depth in ordinary events and everyday objects.
