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8 graduate portfolio hris Hoare Bristol MA Photography he Worst Poem In The Universe The Worst Poem In The Universe is a journey through Australia and a response to the idea that it could be considered a lucky country. The word ‘luck’ is uniquely applicable to Australia because despite being a country with the highest median wealth per person in the world, it is also the most prolific gambling nation. These are just two of the many factors that give the country a distinct relationship with the word ‘luck’. The title of the project is a reference to a poem entitled ‘Our Future’, written by Gina Rinehart, the wealthiest person in Australia. Who, through her poem paints a fictitious picture of the state of the nation, which is drastically at odds with reality.
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Chris Hoare 9 Catherine Troiano: Hoare’s compelling commentary on wealth and aspiration in Australian society offers a moving portrayal of core human desire. Taking as his point of departure the paradox that Australia has both the highest median wealth per capita and the largest gambling problem, Hoare explores notions of success and failure, and the value systems upon which social structures are built. Hoare’s pictures are cinematic visualisations of constructed realities that mirror the hazy promises of gambling. His skill in executing both colour and black and white photographs adds to a sense of turbulence in the work, reminding the viewer of unease and inequality prevalent in even the wealthiest of nations. Michael Mack: This is a bold documentary project which consists in an over-arching assessment of not simply one particular thread in the ideology of a country – the notion that Australia is ‘lucky’ – but which builds into a critique of the nature and self-identification of the nation. Hoare’s subtle mix of colour with black and white, portrait with landscape and details, offers an evocative sense of place loaded with metaphor and suggestion. It presents a very honest vision which manages to walk the difficult line between cynicism and a kindly reflection on a human state of being.

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graduate portfolio hris Hoare

Bristol MA Photography he Worst Poem In The Universe The Worst Poem In The Universe is a journey through Australia and a response to the idea that it could be considered a lucky country. The word ‘luck’ is uniquely applicable to Australia because despite being a country with the highest median wealth per person in the world, it is also the most prolific gambling nation. These are just two of the many factors that give the country a distinct relationship with the word ‘luck’. The title of the project is a reference to a poem entitled ‘Our Future’, written by Gina Rinehart, the wealthiest person in Australia. Who, through her poem paints a fictitious picture of the state of the nation, which is drastically at odds with reality.

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