Amid the cobwebs and the light that streams through broken windows, you can almost hear a building whisper, “I have a story.” As industries change, buildings often get left behind and we are left to wonder what took place there, and why are they no longer in use. The photographs here document these buildings and how they have been ravaged by time and are often reduced to their original form. There is a tension in our brief interaction with them, without human intervention, buildings take on a sense of inertia and the feeling of a mausoleum, a fantastical in-between space, but not quite a heterotopia. This is an architecture that most people will never see. Aside from the art form, it is important to have a photographic record of the factories, transportation hubs, and houses that once played an important role in shaping our culture, communities, and country. All of these buildings once had significance; every place has a story of its past and its present state, and in some cases, a plan for the future.

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As a photographer, it is important to tune in, not only to the architecture, the fittings, the furniture, and the debris strewn across these spaces, but also the nostalgia and memories they evoke. As time passes, these buildings, and the landscapes in and around them, become relics of a disappearing way of life. This is especially true when entire towns have been abandoned due to the demise of local industries.

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Matt Bushell has been documenting industrial heritage for close to 7 year throughout Australia and Taiwan aswell as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. A book was published in 2021 through Schiffer Publishing titled Memories of Australia. Matt's work has been showcased in Art Galleries in both Australia and Singapore. For the past couple of years Matt has also been working full time as a Real Estate Photographer in Brisbane.

 

Features / Exhibitions:

Oz Shot Magazine - Brisbane

20/20 Exhibition - Max Galleria Sunshine Coast

Musa Abode Art Gallery - Singapore

How the Light gets in Exhibition - The University of the Sunshine Coast

Memories of Australia Book Launch & Exhibition - Max Galleria Sunshine Coast

Bendigo Bank Exhibition - Cooroy, Sunshine Coast

Bendigo Bank Exhibition - Tewantin, Sunshine Coast

Noosa Open Studios - Tewantin, Sunshine Coast

Noosa Weekender / Article - Newspaper, Sunshine Coast

Sunshine Coast Daily / Article - Newspaper, Sunshine Coast

Courier Mail / Article - Newspaper, Sunshine Coast

ABC Radio / On-Air Interview - Radio Interview / Australia

Triple J / On-Air Interview - Newspaper, Sunshine Coast

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Clients:

Queensland Rail - Brisbane

RATCH-Australia Corporation - Melbourne

RenewalSA - South Australia

Freedom Property - Brisbane

New South Wales Heritage

Jones Lang LaSalle - Singapore

i12 Shopping Mall - Singapore

313 Somerset - Singapore

Axa Tower - Singapore

Marina Bay Financial Center - Singapore

Capital Square - Singapore

Anson House - Singapore

South Beach Tower - Singapore

Balmoral Residencies - Singapore

Troparies - Brisbane

Seafood Conxion - Sunshine Coast

Australia Post - Australia

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Education:

Bachelor of Design & Communication - The University of the Sunshine Coast (USC)

Diploma of Graphic Design - Martin College - Brisbane

Certificate IV in Business Administration - NTD Training - Gold Coast