Interview: Sydney photographer Garry Trinh
Same Same | Saturday 11th June 2005
I was flying to a conference in Hong Kong with a friend and with people that I’d yet to meet. As I greeted them for the first time I noticed someone taking photos of the scene. Standing in the queue. Seated on the plane. Who was this guy? It was Garry Trinh.
The greatest surprise was viewing his documentation of the trip that captured the spirit of our adventure. I’ve kept tabs on his photography ever since. Sometimes they surprise you with the beauty of life in the city that is there for all to see — but we don’t — we’re too busy. Other times he stitches his photos together like a seamstress with a sense of humour.
I was wondering how you begin new series. I know you walk around with your camera quite often. Do your works begin with observations and then hunting for photos with a similar theme or do they begin with the concept first?
Photo series come in two ways. Either I have a concept and then go out and find the photos to fit the concept or they develop by simply having three or four photos on a similar theme and then I start purposely looking for more of the same. Usually it’s the latter — although it is easy for me to think of a concept — finding photos to communicate the idea is usually impossible because my photos aren’t posed or constructed. I have to find it and know it exists. These are the boundaries I’ve given myself to work in.
Photo series usually take a year or more to complete. I have a few that I’ve been working on and off for over two years. Sometimes they happen fast like the Same Same and The Queue. These took a few hours. Though this is rare.
Welcome Home | 2007
I’ve been working on the series Welcome Home for almost a year now. It has taken this long because I have to find the ideal house. Then I have to wait for the ideal weather and light conditions to photograph the house. These elements might be right, but when I return to the location there might be a giant truck blocking my view. So I would have to take another day off work and return when hopefully everything it right and there’s no truck, angry dog, nosey neighbors, etc. It usually takes two or three attempts. I hope to finish the series in the next six months.
I work in an office but I try to dedicate at least eight hours a week walking the street with my camera observing life. I find it cathartic. I usually have at least one camera with me at all times. Photography is just an extension of my life.
I’m glad you brought up Welcome Home. I’ve only seen that kind of fortification on shops in Manchester (to prevent ram raids) and in Redfern. Are they really that prevalent on the houses in the western suburbs? Can you tell me how this series began and your intent?
In certain parts of western Sydney I estimate up to 25 percent of houses would have one or more of these roller blinds on their windows. People install them for security and to keep out noise. Houses with roller blinds on all windows are becoming more and more common. I am also aware that the more I look for these houses, the more prevalent they seem to be. Where as when I wasn’t looking for them I didn’t notice many at all.
The idea for this series began a few weeks after the Cronulla riot in late 2005. I was asked to photograph my local area for a job and when I tried I noticed the hostility by local residence towards my presence. The area has a large population of people from the Middle East. After the Cronulla riot it seemed the media was blaming this group of migrants for all the crime and violence occurring in our city. I guess local residences thought I was a reporter, walking around with my camera collecting images for another negative story about their community. I wasn’t made to feel very welcome.
In Sydney, since September 11th 2001 I’ve noticed there has been a gradual build-up of hostility and fear towards people who look like they are from the Middle East. The Cronulla riot was an eruption of that hostility. The media’s increase coverage of stories about “Middle Eastern gangs” and our government’s terror warnings have made Australians vigilant and fearful. Whether residences have been directly affected by crime or not, I understand their desire to want to fortify their homes especially if they live in an area with a large population of people which they are warned they should be vigilant of.
My intent for this series is to highlight an aspect of Sydney that people might not be aware of. Not everyone in Sydney lives on the harbour with water views. It’s an injustice that people have to fortify their homes in such a drastic manner in order to feel safe. I’m fascinated that an event that occurred in another country on the other side of the world could have such a deep impact on my local community and I’m horrified that these style of houses might soon be the norm where I live.
Congratulations for winning the Sydney Life prize with this series. I was wondering what this means to you. What’s next in store for Garry Trinh? What I like most about your photos is you capture the things we see but don’t — the unseen — is that magazine of yours going to see the light of day?
I would love to get my magazine published. With the prize money I received from winning the Sydney Life prize, I could launch my first issue but I’m wary of blowing it all on one issue. I want to publish something that I know will have a life beyond a few issues. I’ve learnt publishing a magazine is about the business of advertising, printing and distribution. I don’t know if I’m as interested in those aspects as I am in photography.
Winning the Sydney Life prize has given me confidence and put some of my self doubt regarding my art at bay. Winning also put a tiny spotlight on my work and me. I’ve never experienced that kind of attention before and I did not feel very comfortable with it. My “15 minutes of fame” was not even in the same league as the feeling I get when I know I’ve photographed something unique. It has made me reconsider how much more energy I want to put into exhibiting and distributing my work.
Treehouse | 2007
I love the feeling of clicking the shutter and knowing I’ve photographed something special. The adrenaline resulting from that can last for days. I love getting the negative processed and discovering special elements in a photo that I wasn’t aware of when I was making it. Those are the two things that mean the most to me.
For more on Garry Trinh, see his website or UNseeN Magazine.
All photographs © Garry Trinh
