Her work using coal captured my attention and fascination. I photographed her in her studio, on a bed of coal, and with a hand carved choker around her neck. She appears chained to the coal, much like Australia’s reliance on the mining industry.” - Kate

“The coal jewellery was designed to start a conversation about the devastating effects the burning of fossil fuels has on our environment, and how we need to assess and rethink how we use resources.

The coal used in this jewellery is found on Newcastle beaches. The facets are hand cut into the surface of the coal then polished. Each item is unique, as the material determines the size, shape and number of facets. The facets cut into the coal used in this jewellery are ametaphor, demonstrating that there are many ways to look at this natural resource, depending on where you stand, both physically and metaphorically.

Coal was the birth of Newcastle city, and it is now becoming the demise of the world we know. We are only beginning to understand the true cost of consuming coal. We are choking and trapped by our attainment. We need to reimagine our possibilities as a community, be creative in how we use resources and take responsibility for our actions.” - Sophia Emmett

Kate Kennedy sees herself as a documentarian of other people’s stories. After spending 10 years exclusively photographing women and families during labour and birth, she now records life stories in audio and visual form.

*

We Are is a multi-location multimedia photographic experience highlighting creative women of Newcastle, commencing on Wednesday March 8th 2023 (International Women’s Day) and culminating in a celebration event at The Lock-Up on Friday March 24th.

We Are is a portrait project featuring 20 WH!P Collective members turning their lenses towards fellow female and non-binary creatives to highlight the many benefits that a thriving and diverse artistic community bring to our region.

WH!P (Women* of the Hunter !n Photography) was founded in 2020 to embrace and create opportunities for professional photographers from the Hunter region by leveraging the combined skills, experience and credentials of its members. Fostering a culture of support, celebration, exchange, education, advocacy, action, enjoyment, play and growth, it hopes to actively raise the profile of contemporary photographic excellence, education and experimentation in the Hunter Region. WH!P works collaboratively with those both within and beyond the local area who share our belief that the world should be shown through a lens as diverse as the real world.

*all references to women/woman is inclusive of gender diverse people

WH!P’s logos and graphics designed by Laura Kent

"The coal jewellery was designed to start a conversation about the devastating effects the burning of fossil fuels has on our environment, and how we need to assess and rethink how we use resources".

Sophia Emmett