An animated film on the theme of overconsumption and a striking image from the West Bank have taken top honours at the 2012 Photography Competition organised by the School of Political Science and International Studies.
Lucia Schulz, an undergraduate student in Arts, said the idea for her film 鈥楾urn Around鈥� was based on a true story of friends who found a large amount of cash in the creek near their home.
鈥淚 considered the thought process one would go through upon being involved in such a situation: the initial excitement at all the 鈥楾hings鈥� you could purchase,鈥� Lucia said.
鈥淏ut we ought to ask ourselves if we really know where our products come from, and what the consequences of fulfilling our 鈥榥eeds鈥� may be to other societies and species.鈥�
Presenting the award, judge Dr Seb Kaempf said: 鈥渢he strength of Lucia鈥檚 entry lies in its length - she鈥檚 conveying a strong political message about consumerism, environmental degradation, and the meaning of life in a mere 1.5 minutes.鈥�
Ali Rae, a Master鈥檚 student in the , won the photography category with her entry 鈥楿phill Battle鈥�, and took home the first prize of a Canon camera donated by Norac Information and Technology Management.
The photograph, taken at the end of a protest in Bi鈥檒in on the West Bank in Palestine, was described by judge Dr Nel Vandekerckhove as: 鈥渙f such quality it could easily make it to the front page of a leading newspaper or magazine.鈥�
鈥淭he visual language is provocative and yet subtle,鈥� Dr Vandekerckhove said.
鈥淚t also gives us a glimpse of the artistic identity of the photographer.
鈥淭he presented work speaks volumes about the protests against the construction of the West Bank barrier in a small town called Bi鈥檒in.鈥�
Thanks to Artland Indooroopilly, the evening also featured a People鈥檚 Choice Award for the first time: Jeremy Ullman, with his image 鈥楲ooking Back鈥�, was voted favourite by the guests.
Entries for the 2013 awards will open in March.
To view the shortlisted entries in both categories, please visit the School鈥檚 webpage
For further details Gillian Ievers: g.ievers@uq.edu.au
