There is currently a photo of me in a exhibition at the Museum of Sydney. It is a photographic exploration of descendants of Australia’s early convicts.
I worked with the wonderful photographer Mine Konacki a few years ago whilst I was doing some promotional work for Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority. We had spoken then about my convict ancestry on my mothers side of the family as my family tree has a strong connection with the Rocks Area, Playfair street being names after one of my relatives.
As someone who loves and appreciates days gone by it was fascinating to take a step so far back into my own family history. I became aware of my convict heritage during the 1988 Bicentenary as there was lots of focus on convicts and Australia’s past. My mother was really passionate about our researching our family tree and connecting the dots that created our families journey.
In Mine’s own words about the exhibition “As a photographer, what interested me was the impact that the theft of objects—most of a relatively small value—could have on people’s lives. As a result, the photographs depict the descendants with a representation of the item that their ancestors had stolen; with the items representing a link between the ancestor and descendant.”
Such a simple theft brought William Roberts my ancestor to Australia. It makes you stop and think about all of those small decisions, moments, happenings and where they lead you.
I loved working with Mine and am so thrilled that the collection of images that she was so passionate about creating is on display in such a fabulous location.
You can see more information about the exhibition on the For A Pittance website.
http://aconvictinthefamily.com.au/subjects-2/pia-andersen-2/
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