Museum of Brisbane
Dorothy's Birthday 2.0
2024

This installation of a digital inkjet print and images displayed on smartphones was commissioned by the Museum of Brisbane for NEW LIGHT, PHOTOGRPHY NOW & THEN, an exhibition, curated by Elena Dias-Jayasinha. Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) photographed Brisbane in the early 19th Century and the exhibition displays his photos alongside photographic equipment he used back then. The exhibition still runs until 13 July 2026.

As an integral part of the show MoB invited seven contemporary photographers to produce new work responding to the Elliott collection: Marian Drew, Jo-Anne Driessens, Tammy Law, Carl Warner, Nina White, Keemon Williams and myself.

Exploring the collection, I was quickly drawn to a photo Elliott took of his daughter Dorothy’s ninth birthday party. In the image, a sad looking Dorothy holds a doll posing with family and friends. Although everyone has gathered to celebrate her birthday, she has been relegated to the edge of the group, while her brother Alfred has been given centre stage, holding a precious toy boat.

Since this photograph was taken in 1911, the world has seen massive social and technological change. Yet our desire to take family photos has remained steadfast. Reflecting on our perpetual want to ‘freeze’ memories, I have translated Elliott’s depiction of Dorothy’s birthday into a contemporary context. I cropped portraits of the partygoers out of the original negative and uploaded them onto what is now the most common type of camera: the smartphone. I restored and manipulated the portraits and rearranged them into a new composition. Disrupting the hierarchy and gender roles presented in the original image, my new version of Dorothy’s birthday finally puts her into the centre of attention, smiling and holding the toy boat.