AROUND THE WORLD IN 52 SUBURBS

Ambitious as it is beautiful and inspiring, 52 Suburbs is the brainchild of Sydneysider Louise Hawson.

During 2012 Louise is exploring and photographing the ‘unfamous’ side of some of the world’s most famous cities – their suburbs/neighbourhoods – and share what she discovers in weekly posts on her blog 52 Suburbs.

Mt Druitt… from Louise’s Sydney project 52suburbs.com.au.

Along for the ride is her eight-year-old daughter, Coco.

Why the journey? “In 2009/2010 I realised I was a stranger in my own city of Sydney. So I spent a year exploring and photographing one new Sydney suburb a week in search of the beauty in the ‘burb, sharing what I found on a blog, 52suburbs.com.au,” says Louise.

The blog developed a strong following and in 2011 evolved into a book and a major exhibition – and the inspiration for this second project, 52 Suburbs Around the World.

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So far, Louise has been to Hong Kong, New Delhi, Istanbul and Paris. Currently, she’s in Rome and then it’s on to Berlin, New York.

“Yes, they’re all famous ‘over-photographed’ cities; my mission is to paint a more imaginative, intimate picture of them than you normally see.”

Louise is ignoring the postcard clichés and focus instead on finding ‘ordinary’ beauty in the places where ‘ordinary’ people live.

“I’ll also present many of my photographs as diptychs (fancy word for two images side by side) with a caption. It’s a playful way of presenting images that allows me to make connections between seemingly unrelated things and to tell ‘mini stories’. I often juxtapose people with the built environment, making a connection through a shared texture, colour or shape – anything that unites the images and creates a new meaning.”

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