Searching for a suitable subject for an impeding university assignment, NWH began exploring a seemingly vacant block of old-factory-type buildings in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Preston. Attracted by the gritty, dilapidated veneer, the photographer moved closer, hoping to obtain a better look. Through this process, NWH unwittingly discovered a community of artist-activists; a group of mostly young men squatting inside these buildings with a pitbull dog. Invited by the founding occupants to extend his documentation to include some of the squat’s interior spaces and occupants, he developed a photo-essay.

Eight years after submitting this essay for his university assignment, a chance encounter led NWH to re-connect with these individuals. Despite the squat being by this point disbanded, the community surrounding it endured, and welcomed the photographer back into the fold. Inspired by their continuing creativity, NWH worked with those willing to produce a limited-edition artist’s book.

In facilitating the recording of verbal narratives relating to the time and place of the photographs, the publication deepened the photographer’s ties to the community (see video on right). The self-produced publication also received a nomination for The Best Antipodean Photobooks of 2020, commended for its ability to show an alternative conception of ‘home,’ and how isolation can become community…