Take a wrong turn in the CBD then keep walking, this is our world. Cultural alchemist Ben Vozzo has created a series of urban reflections #intheworld that invite you to look beyond your own boundaries and see your surroundings not through your own eyes, but through the eyes of the world.
Take a wrong turn in the CBD then keep walking, this is our world. Cultural alchemist Ben Vozzo has created a series of urban reflections #intheworld that invite you to look beyond your own boundaries and see your surroundings not through your own eyes, but through the eyes of the world. Deep. In the words of the organisers, Ben Vozzo and Claire Lancaster, this is a series of art(net)works created from images of inner-Sydney social housing precincts. The works are the creation of Benjamin Vozzo, who has spent the last six months using iPhoneography, traditional photography and social media to document various realities around the community housing blocks of Redfern, Waterloo and Surry Hills.
In all honesty the entire exercise is painfully cool but it redeems itself with a social conscience, highlighting the needs of urban community, specifically regarding social housing. So it’s okay for nerds like myself to hang out in the world since, surprisingly, generation meh actually care.
The exhibit title is expressed not as “world” but the Arabic derived Chechen word “dunya”, absorbing cultures like the outskirts of Sydney town. But what is it all exactly? Well, many things, start with manipulated inner city photographs, both stand alone and detailed installations, all very pretty. The images feature black and white prints, sunset highlights and a graphic element that weaves its way through all forms of media. The pictures are only the beginning, as the walls tell their own story, with the filmed locations projected onto one side and the photogenic Cyrillic text wrapped around the exhibition space.
Opening night unfolded to Eastern European and Arabic beats, lime laced air and cute chicks with vodka bottles. For future reference, this is an epic way to get a party started. The overall impression is visually beautiful, with an underlying outrage at indifference towards social issues and societal disintegration. #intheworld unites us, moves us to look outward, build new communites, both locally and globally, face to face and online. Our world, our people, our time is right here intheworld.
#intheworld continues on www.facebook.com/intheworldbdvz and www.bdvz.tumblr.com
About the author
