GALLERY ONE
FORD REUNION
SAT AUGUST 14, 4.30-6.30PM
FREE, RSVP ESSENTIAL
EXHIBITION OPENS FRI AUGUST 6, 6:00PM - 8:00PM
CLOSES FRI AUGUST 20, 5:00PM
FREE
PLATFORM ARTS IS WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE.
PLEASE CONTACT HELLO@PLATFORMARTS.ORG.AU FOR ANY ENQUIRIES.
On the fifth anniversary of the Ford factory's closure, former Ford workers are invited to a reunion and private viewing of the exhibition Fordtown at Platform Arts. This is a great chance for former workers to see their colleagues again and catch up on where life has taken them since the closure. There is also an opportunity to chat to the exhibiting artist, Kaitlyn Church, whose Masters Degree research has culminated in this body of work.
Fordtown questions the human cost of post-industrialization through the exploration of the ramifications of the closure of Ford's manufacturing facilities in her hometown of Geelong.
On October 7th, 2016, the last engine rolled off the assembly line, thus ending the 91-year long manufacturing history between the Ford Motor Company and the city. The identity of the city of Geelong has been linked to the local Ford Factory since it began operation in 1925. The advent of Ford Australia allowed the city to enjoy the same type of wealth and prosperity as other motor cities across the globe like Detroit, Nagoya, and Birmingham. The city became so synonymous with the company that it would colloquially become known as Fordtown.
Fordtown is an expanded documentary project that explores the impact that the closure of the Ford Motor Company's manufacturing facilities has had on the city of Geelong. Cities will inevitably move forward from 'blue-collar' industries such as manufacturing, and transition into a post-industrial society, focusing on the production of knowledge, rather than the production of goods. This transition comes with many benefits for the environment and local working conditions. This project questions the human cost of this progress and documents the impact the loss of Ford has had on the city of Geelong through the stories of individual workers.
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Kaitlyn Church is a Melbourne based visual artist, employing photography, video and the archive. She utilizes her upbringing in rural Victoria as a source of inspiration for her photographic work; her current practice is focused on documenting the ever-changing landscape of regional Australia. She also has an interest in the history of Australia; and explores the impact of past events on the contemporary landscape.
Her work has been collected by various organizations including The Australian National Library, and The Asia Pacific Photobook Archive. Her work has also been exhibited throughout Melbourne, including in the Centre of Contemporary Photography and the Monash Gallery of Art.