Powerhouse Photofields

Through a series of intimate conversations and workshops, Photofields explores the intersection of photography and social history, investigating how images shape, reflect and document cultural life.

For the first time, Photofields will be presented at PHIVE in Parramatta. This year’s program focuses on documentary practice and the role of the image in constructing cultural memory.

From music and sport to protest and public space, photography offers a visual record of how we live and how we remember: Photofields explores how photographs not only capture the world but actively participate in shaping it.​

Photofields is an initiative of Powerhouse Photography, supported by funds generously donated by the Australian Centre for Photography.

Here's the program: 

Documenting Personal Histories | William Yang

Time: 11am - 12pm 

Acclaimed photographer and storyteller William Yang reflects on decades of image-making and his deeply personal take on the history of Australian photography. In this intimate session, he shares how he’s chosen what to document — and why. ​

Shaping History | Barbara McGrady

Time: 1pm - 2pm

Barbara McGrady is a leading force in Australian photography.

In conversation with Nathan mudyi Sentance, Head of Collections, First Nations at Powerhouse, she’ll discuss the way her work connects performance, sport and cultural practice.

Together, they’ll explore the camera’s role as a tool for resistance and reclamation, as well as ideas of presence, connection and storytelling.

Honest Work | Matt Wilson and Kate Asamoah

Time: 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Matt Wilson is a photographer and creative director from Western Sydney.

In this session, he and Kate Asamoah lead a conversation and workshop about representing youth culture with honesty and insight, exploring ways to tell stories rooted in shared experience and how to forge a career in creative industries.

The Right to Witness | Andrew Quilty and Bahram Mia

Time: 4pm - 5pm

In this wide-reaching conversation, photographers Andrew Quilty and Bahram Mia discuss the responsibilities photographers have to their subjects.

Together, they reflect on the role of identity in shaping how stories are told and who tells them, ideas of authorship and the very nature of photojournalism.