Lower Left | Edwin Daughtry

A small rough hewn bright red herring swims in the lower left hand corner is almost completely lost against a cacophonous yet regular geometric background of triangular mosaic wallpaper of bright striking Red Pink and Brown.

A fine art still life photo of a blue marble egg in the lower left hand corner against a background of 1940's stripped beige wallpaper.

A small plastic rabbit sits on a bright orange carpet atop a dark rocky outcrop.

A minimalist image of a silver stupa set against a red baize backdrop.

A small brass statue of a rearing horse against a vast wall of 1970’s dark grey wallpaper with a bright gold geometric pattern.

From the Lower Left series of photographs.

Photographed at River Studios in 2022.

This work was developed in a space managed by the City of Melbourne’s Creative Spaces program.

A black wooden egg sits on a wooden block in the lower left corner. The background is a pale blue wallpaper with a golden leafed vine that shimmers in the light.

From the Lower Left series of photographs.

Photographed at River Studios in 2022.

This work was developed in a space managed by the City of Melbourne’s Creative Spaces program.

The Lower Left series emerged organically as I sought out subjects for still life photographs, framing each one while adhering to the "lower left" guideline. It started as an exercise in composition perhaps looking for a fresh perspective on familiar objects; it transformed into a wholly different process. The items, once tucked away in a dusty box or forgotten in the back of a drawer, surfaced for re-examination - some unseen and unexamined for decades, not yet having met their "Marie Kondo moment."

As I proceeded this became an introspective process, I pondered why these specific artefacts endured through downsizing, multiple share houses and relocations. What kept them preserved and part to my life? Was it out of deference to the item's significance, its giver, its origin, or its representation of something deeply meaningful?

The realisation struck that this series wasn't merely a compositional exercise; it became a profound examination of the narratives and histories carried by these items. Each photograph served as a portal to introspection, asking questions about the histories I had kept (and of those that I have disposed of).

Unlike a mere catalogue, this series became a journey into unexamined aspects of life, catching me off guard as it unfolded. If, as Socrates suggested, "the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being," the "Lower Left" series provided an unexpected process that surpassed my initial intentions.

Edwin Daughtry