Bradley Jenkins
Colo High School
TICKETS PLEASE
Photomedia
Photographic paper, card
I may be known as a ‘man in a hat’ but prefer ‘historical hysterical’: one who scrutinises, documents and archives all aspects of transport – trains, motor buses and trams. Combining my research into historical photographic techniques and a healthy, yet slightly overzealous, diversion into various modes of transport, Tickets Please explores the connections between individuals, objects and reminiscences about historical aspects of Sydney transport. A world of record keeping is fast becoming a lost art, but my body of work uses its elements to express the nostalgia that redefines the historical object, raising it out of mundanity.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Duane Michals, Sam Hood, Max Dupain.
Marker's Commentary
Tickets Please is an historical narrative of transport in New South Wales, particularly railway heritage through the lens of a photo essay and documentary photography. Careful curation is a hallmark of this submission, showcasing black and white portraits with an array of significant objects, and the inclusions of a leather-bound conductor’s ticket case. The ticket case highlights the connectedness of the personal journey with handwritten observations on re-printed tickets. As an audience, we witness travel throughout a history that is now carefully preserved, as represented in the three highly considered and engaging monochrome portraits. Overall, ideas are elaborated and comprehensively sustained throughout this unique, and exemplary body of work.