Image Ecologies is a photographic enquiry into the post-industrial condition of one of New South Wales’ most iconic and remote cities. As Australia’s first heritage city, Broken Hill is celebrated for its continuous one-hundred-and-thirty-five-year history of mining operations, the struggle and victories won by steadfast trade unions, and the pioneering environmental groundwork carried out by passionate community groups. The city was established around some of the earth’s richest mineral deposits and has generated more than three-hundred-billion dollars for various multinational corporations in this century-long endeavour.

Today Broken Hill is representative of many remote communities. It is facing declining populations, more frequent and extreme weather events, and economic uncertainty. However, the community of Broken Hill appears to be driving a period of rapid cultural transformation. It is moving away from the extractive economies of the past to embrace a more sustainable and post-industrial future, embracing cultural economies and the transformative power of renewable energy.

Drawing from images created between 2015 and 2018, Image Ecologies attempts to grapple with these complexities of place; unfolding as an observation of how these overlapping histories are woven into the surfaces and environments of Broken Hill.