Meet photographic artist Michael Cook - unDiscovered exhibition
Summary
TLDRMichael Cook, a photographer with 25 years of experience, shares his journey of self-discovery and exploration of indigenous identity at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney. Inspired by his mother's fight for indigenous rights, Cook's work educates from an indigenous perspective, contrasting with the Eurocentric history he learned. His artistic process involves starting with a blank canvas and building layers, akin to painting with a camera, to create a final image. Each project is a discovery, with ideas stemming from various sources, and Cook emphasizes the importance of adaptability in the creative process.
Takeaways
- 🎨 Michael Cook is an artist with a series called 'Undiscovered' exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
- 👨👩👧👦 He was adopted and grew up in a large family with a strong advocate for indigenous rights as his mother.
- 🧐 His work is inspired by his desire to explore his own indigenous identity and history.
- 📚 He feels that his education on indigenous history was lacking during his school years in the 70s and 80s.
- 📸 Cook has 25 years of experience in photography, starting from dark rooms to wedding, commercial, and fashion photography.
- 💡 His creative process involves starting with a blank canvas and building an image layer by layer, akin to painting with a camera.
- 🤔 His ideas for projects can come from various sources, including documentaries or even just a title.
- 🔄 The title 'Undiscovered' was chosen to contrast the notion of Australia's discovery, acknowledging the pre-existing population.
- 👥 He considers the models and how to piece together the final look, without a predetermined number of images.
- 🔁 As a photographic artist, Cook is open to changing directions during a project to achieve a stronger end result.
Q & A
Who is Michael Cook and what is his connection to the National Maritime Museum in Sydney?
-Michael Cook is a photographer with 25 years of experience in the industry, and he has an exhibit called 'Undiscovered' on display at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney. It is an honor for him to have his work showcased there.
What is Michael Cook's inspiration for his artwork?
-Michael Cook's inspiration comes from his desire to explore his own indigenous identity and history, which he did not learn much about in school.
How does Michael Cook's upbringing influence his work?
-Cook was brought up in a large family and is the only adopted child. His mother was an advocate for indigenous rights, which influenced his interest in indigenous history and his artistic exploration of his own heritage.
What is the significance of the title 'Undiscovered' for Michael Cook's series?
-The title 'Undiscovered' signifies the idea that contrary to the notion of Australia being 'discovered' by Captain Cook, there were already people living in Australia. It challenges the Eurocentric perspective of history.
How does Michael Cook's background in photography contribute to his art?
-Cook's experience in various photography fields such as wedding, portrait, commercial, and fashion photography has taught him skills like organization, styling, and creating layered images, which he applies to his artistic work.
What is Michael Cook's process for creating his art?
-Cook starts with a blank canvas and an idea in his head, similar to painting with a camera. He builds layers and creates images, often changing direction as the project evolves.
How does Michael Cook's approach to photography differ from photojournalism?
-Unlike photojournalism, which captures events as they happen, Cook starts with an idea and constructs his images, creating a narrative from scratch.
What role do titles play in Michael Cook's creative process?
-Titles can be a starting point for Cook's creative process. For the 'Undiscovered' series, the title came first, inspiring the concept and direction of the artwork.
How does Michael Cook handle the dynamic nature of creating art projects?
-As a photographic artist, Cook is prepared to change directions during the creation process, adapting to the many changes that occur, which ultimately leads to a stronger final project.
What are some of the skills Michael Cook learned from his years in the photography industry?
-Cook learned organization from wedding photography, and from the fashion industry, he learned how to coordinate with stylists, makeup artists, and hairstylists to achieve a specific look.
How does Michael Cook's work reflect his personal journey of self-discovery?
-Each project for Cook is an educational process where he learns more about Australian history from an indigenous perspective and discovers more about himself, reflecting his journey of self-discovery.
Outlines
📸 Exploring Indigenous Identity Through Art
Michael Cook, a photographer with 25 years of experience, discusses his journey from dark rooms to fashion photography and how each phase has influenced his current work. His series 'Undiscovered' at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney is a personal exploration of his indigenous identity, inspired by his mother's fight for indigenous rights. Cook's process involves starting with a blank canvas and building an image layer by layer, akin to painting with a camera. His work is not only a creative expression but also an educational journey into Australian history from an indigenous perspective, challenging the narrative of 'discovery' by highlighting the presence of indigenous people before European settlement.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Indigenous Identity
💡National Maritime Museum
💡Captain Cook's Landing
💡Photography Industry
💡Blank Canvas
💡Layers
💡Fashion Photography
💡Undiscovered
💡Education Process
💡Adopted Children
💡Cultural Heritage
Highlights
Michael Cook's artwork series 'Undiscovered' is displayed at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.
Cook's inspiration stems from his desire to explore his indigenous identity.
He was raised in a large family and is one of the adopted children.
Cook's mother was an advocate for indigenous rights throughout his upbringing.
His art serves as an educational journey to understand Australian history from an indigenous perspective.
Cook's work contrasts with traditional photojournalism by starting with a blank canvas and building an idea.
He has 25 years of experience in photography, starting in dark rooms and moving through various fields.
Cook's experience in wedding photography taught him organization and time management.
The fashion industry influenced his ability to create a cohesive look with stylists, makeup artists, and hairstylists.
His creative process involves starting with an idea and building layers to create a final image.
The title 'Undiscovered' was chosen to challenge the notion of Australia's discovery, acknowledging the pre-existing population.
Cook's ideas for his art can originate from various sources, including documentaries or even titles.
He emphasizes the importance of being adaptable and changing direction during the creative process.
Cook's approach to art involves constant evolution and adaptation to strengthen the final project.
His work reflects a deep personal connection to his indigenous heritage and a commitment to exploring that history.
Cook's mother's fight for indigenous rights has significantly influenced his artistic direction.
The title 'Undiscovered' encapsulates the theme of challenging the Eurocentric narrative of Australian history.
Transcripts
hi I'm Michael cook I've got my series
undiscovered here at the National
Maritime Museum in Sydney it's an honor
for me to have my work on display here
my inspiration comes from me wanting to
find out a little bit more about my own
indigenous identity I was brought up in
quite a large family of eight and i'm
the only one of only adopted children in
that family I had the the luck of my
mother fought for indigenous rights most
of her life and me being part indigenous
I wanted to find out a little bit more
about my own history and indigenous
history is something that I didn't
really learn at school through the 70s
and 80s we learn a lot about Captain
Cook's landing and and European
settlement so each project that I do
it's a good education process for me to
find out about Australian history from
an indigenous perspective and finding
out a little bit more on each project
about myself I come from 25 years
experience in the photography industry I
started off in dark rooms that led into
wedding and portrait photography on to
commercial and then finally into fashion
photography each section of years of
photography I take a little bit of that
weddings taught me how to organize my
day organize models the fashion industry
told me how to piece together a certain
look to run through using stylist makeup
artist and hairstylist so each little
bit goes into the work that i create now
my art to create what I would call
starting with a
a blank canvas unlike photojournalistic
photography where you might go out and
see something and shoot that I start
with the blank canvas I start with an
idea in my head and it's like painting
with the camera so I say that in the way
that I create layers and we build with
those layers to get a final image so I
find within the work when I'm first
thinking of an idea the idea could come
from anywhere it can come from something
that I see in a documentary it can come
up to come from a even a title that I
think of for this series here
undiscovered it was about having
thinking of the title first which was
the opposite to the discovery of
Australia given that there was people
living in Australia already so what
sometimes it can just come from a title
and then i create the idea around that
so the idea starts in my head and then I
think about it models I want to use how
I want to put that together I never know
how many images I'm going to end up with
it's something that sort of builds along
the way I change my direction a lot as I
continue with the project and has a
photographic artist I need to be
prepared to change directions along the
way because there's so many changes that
happen during the process of putting an
art project together it always ends up
if you know how to change along the way
it always ends up being a stronger
project as an end result
you
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