‘While the World Sleeps’
What are you exploring?
Urbanisation has played its role for the existence of urban wildlife with some animals having to abandon their natural habitats due to destruction and fragmentation, making it difficult for some species to live, as they are pushed out of their natural milieu. The urban network of trees and parks have become home to a variety of wildlife in the city providing an ideal living environment. The fact that there are less predators and competition for resources than natural environments make it another incentive for wildlife in some cases. There are some drawbacks with higher noise and pollution levels which can harm some species and light pollution can cause birds and bats to risk colliding into buildings and other structures. Some invasive species such as feral cats and foxes also roam the streets at night and as polarising as they may be, can be responsible for the decline and extinction of 76 native species in the wild. Despite this, scientists also suggest they can help keep small rodent numbers down in urban areas. Most of the time these city dwellers scavenge in bins in city parks, cemeteries and streets and it is said that we could be 50 metres away from a fox at any time in Melbourne, but we wouldn’t even know it. 'While the World Sleeps' is an exploration of the animals that live amongst us, in addition to some of the positive and negative impacts they have on them.
Why do you want to do it? Motivation
Often, these animals go undetected as people are too busy to notice their existence. Their hidden worlds are what fascinates me as these urban areas provide a range of habitats, food, shelter, and nesting sites for some native species. The parks can also be a haven for some feral animals, often these introduced species, take refuge in these urban settings foraging for food, to increase their chances of survival. To be able to document just a small window into the lives of these urban animals is the motive for this project.
How will you explore it? Photographic approach
The initial steps are to research areas where urban wildlife dwell. Some feral animals can be a bit more elusive, so some scouting is required be it walking or driving through various neighbourhoods. Also studying their patterns and behaviour will also help in achieving a better photographic approach. Looking at websites such as feral scan can also provide an idea of their habits and where sightings occur. Native species are often found at different times of the night so that hopefully won’t pose as much of a challenge. I will find areas with street lighting and wait for the animals to appear rather than trying to find them but also, I won’t be bating or using camera triggers. I'll try to utilise what ambient light is available between dusk and dawn but may have to use flash in some scenarios.
Presentation of work
The series will be conceived into a 50 page book, 200 x 240mm perfect bound. The intention is to have ¾ or full bleed of the images with some text information on the pages as well as a foreword. Paper to be determined but likely looking at a matt print finish. Post processing will mostly look at enhancing the subjects and not use any experimental editing as I intend to make the images as natural as possible.
