Susanna Freymark
Photographer Jodie Harris has a new project that requires interaction from its audience – and she’s inviting the community to write a letter.
Her photographic series Becalmed stems from lived experience. Becalmed is a nautical term meaning a ship or boat that cannot move because there is no wind.
“It grew out of a need to externalise my own journey while serving as a catalyst for change in others’ lives,” Jodie said.
Jodie runs 6 Acre Studios near Kyogle and the Becalmed series has taken on many forms. “It started looking very different and ended up being shot on a salt lake in western Victoria. This was the only location where the images could be shot, as it stands as an important metaphor in the work,” Jodie said.
The salt lake as a location was a challenge.
“It was difficult to access and presented a challenging environment for shooting for both myself and my model.”
The series was shot over two years.
“The process of completing this body of work has strengthened my capacity as a socially engaged photographer,” Jodie said.
“Work like this needs to be seen to foster an environment for change to occur. This process has solidified the immense power of creative expression in healing from trauma.
“I have learnt that sometimes the stillest, most local gesture cuts through where the loudest campaign cannot.”
This is where the Dear Survivor project comes in as a companion project for Jodie’s upcoming exhibition at the Roxy.
The exhibition is called Salt: Bearing Witness, a contemporary photography exhibition that explores the long-term mental health impacts of domestic violence on women and children.
The exhibition contains images from the Becalmed series.
Jodie intentionally scheduled her work to be shown at the Roxy Gallery during the UN 16 Days of Activism (November 25–December 10).
“I want everyone who sees this work to feel empowered to speak up for those who have lost their voice,” she said.
“I want everyone to walk away knowing that once the violence stops, the healing journey still has a long way to go, most likely a lifetime.
“I want everyone to know that domestic violence is everyone’s responsibility.”
Dear Survivor is a letter writing campaign to show love, kindness, and support, demonstrating to the 1 in 3 women who experience violence in their lifetimes that they are not alone.
People can submit their letters in three ways.
- Go online here
- By sending a text to 0458 521 120
- Dropping a note in the physical red boxes at Kyogle Together, Kyogle Library or the Roxy Gallery.
Jodie will personally read every submission, and a selection will become part of the exhibition at the Roxy Gallery and displayed in the IGA windows in the main street of Kyogle.
Importantly, every submission is anonymous.
“Names will not be displayed and I ask that no submissions contain any names or details of events,” Jodie said.
“You don’t need to be a writer. You don’t need the right words. You just need to mean it.”
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