The Road, The Noise, The Community and The Self

Spenser Paul is a Naarm/Melbourne-based queer man (He/Him) who works primarily in the medium of photography, specialising in contemporary Australian landscape and documenting our ongoing relationship with the stolen lands we live on. His work is mostly long-form documentary, working with communities and spaces in rural areas of Australia.

‍The Road, The Noise, The Community and The Self is a body of photographic works produced during lockdown in conjunction with using archival material and prose that explores the self through the art forms and objects we use to define ourselves. Focusing on the journey one goes through when defining the self, the project questions whether we find a definition of the self unconsciously or if we actively create  a  sense  of  self  by  finding  passions  and  aligning  ourselves  with  ideals,  cultures,  objects  and communities. The aspirations of oneself are examined, dissected and reflected upon in the writing as well as in the inherent risks and identity associated with motorcycling. It discusses the cultural implications of our affinity and associations with objects, and the objects' seeming indifference. It considers one’s journey of artistic completion and seeking to be a member of a community through motorcycles, photography and social situations. Presented in a box-folio format, this body of work evokes the feeling of a lost individual seeking to find their own identity and exploring their own psyche through the lens.