"Language has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone, and the word solitude to express the glory of being alone." -Paul Johannes Tillich

Newcastle was not going to be the backdrop for my images. When I first visited Newcastle I fell for its architecture, heritage and masses of urban landscape possibilities. An outsider can see things that locals may take for granted. Now, two years into my "Novacastrian Internship" my view of this city was feeling tarnished. Familiarity sometimes breeds contempt. Trips to Melbourne and Sydney were made camera in hand, as I believed solitude was a city thing. The best way to dehumanise a person is to put them in a crowd, and having lived in Melbourne for five years, I often felt this way.

When I selected the final images it seemed I had produced a body of work that mainly featured Newcastle and it's people. How long does this "Internship" last? How long is it before I'm considered a local? Maybe now I can understand Newcastle life better than before. While shooting these images I tried to be inconspicuous, hoping not to interrupt my subjects thoughts or actions. While hiding from my subjects, I felt like a spy or detective. A voyeur. I was asked one day if I was the KO-FM Fugitive.

I found myself observing people's actions and their behaviour in the company of others. Sometimes in close proximity of each other, yet blissfully unaware of their peers and surrounds. I felt like an anthropologist studying this strange human species, especially when a camera is pointed their way. Shooting alone made me aware of other factors, taking in so much more than the subject in front of me. The climate, smell, texture and feel of the day; from the warm sun with light breezes to damp, yet humid showery days. An insight into not only the human psyche, but also their comfort level in their surrounds. If I did not shoot alone, would I still be aware of these details or would my view be fogged by unwanted distractions?

alison@octapod.org