Latrobe Regional Gallery
15 May - 1 August
Our New Home is a photographic exhibition that captures the lived experience of refugee and migrant women in Gippsland.
Our New Home serves as a reminder to pause and consider another’s life journey, as no two experiences are the same.
Latrobe Community Health Service commissioned renowned Gippsland photographer Lauren Murphy to explore the theme of movement from across the globe to Gippsland.
Using digital and medium format photography – captured via film, environmental or doubly exposed photographs – Lauren captured eighteen remarkable women. Latrobe Community Health Service’s communications advisor, former journalist Emma Watson, interviewed each of the women and drafted their written profiles.
The result is Our New Home.
Each woman is captured within her natural environment pondering the grief, loss, love, resilience, strength and pride she has endured; she endures. The imagery evokes within the viewer a sense of the vulnerability, upheaval, hope and restoration each of these women has experienced.
Our New Home challenges common misconceptions of what it is to be culturally and linguistically diverse in Australia. It asks the viewer to connect with difference and to share a sense of pride in the communities and people who call Gippsland home.
View the exhibition online
About Lauren Murphy
Lauren Murphy is a professional photographer who lives in Warragul. Her work ranges from commercial and wedding photography, through to journalism and personal projects. As a former social worker who supported refugees, Lauren is familiar with the trauma, resilience and gratitude many newly-arrived families experience. Lauren founded Lauren Murphy Photography in 2013, and has since used her talents to capture diversity through imagery.
About Latrobe Community Health Service
Latrobe Community Health Service is a secular, charitable not-for-profit health service. We are inspired by a vision of strong, vibrant communities where more people enjoy good health and lead fulfilling lifestyles. We provide settlement support for migrants and refugees across Gippsland. We also work to increase employment, education and social connection among Gippsland’s multicultural communities.