In Transit & Travelers photographic works by Hamish Ta-mé
3 – 28 Feb 2025 at The Atrium, Civic Centre 68 Elizabeth St. Moss Vale
InTransit works I Travelers works
We move through our lives and the landscape with a restless energy, pushing, pulling, hoping, fearing. Connecting. At times we come together in shared spaces, and in community. Our train journeys are a time where a large disparate group from an incredibly diverse range of backgrounds and intentions come together in parallel for a few hours to then disperse again. Railways have played a vital role in creating communities with little more initial connection than a common transport hub. From these utilitarian beginnings grows a community of families, friends, colleagues and commerce. These portraits are part of a larger body of work shot whilst commuting, they come from a place of openness and a genuine interest in these unique lives and how the sitters came to be in this time at this place.
In Transit was commissioned by Southern Tablelands Arts for the opening of Connect@GunningStation where it was display in November 2023.
Mon 3 Feb 3pm Opening event Join Hamish at the opening afternoon tea & Artists’ talk.
Michael is off on the train to the city where he will be flying to Singapore, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Max & Margarita bought the local cinema more than 20 years ago so they could have space to paint, create and live a creative life. Both are highly recognised artists and deeply engaged in the local community.
Shane was sitting with some mates at the pub enjoying his schnitty, ute out the front with his dog keeping an eye on things.He’s a machine operator, and volunteers with the local Goulburn RFS.
Catherine lives near the railway line. She prefers to be barefoot and walks past the railway station several times a day. We had a long chat at the library where she was researching local birds of prey.
Di – On a rainy day I made my way to the library which had a steady flow of people browsing and catching up. Di was in picking up a reserved book and was happy to sit on the verandah for a chat.
Ayrton – Biancas son was doing homework after school and looked right at home on the library computers.
Kai and her son are mid way through their regular school holiday adventure. They live in Bondi, and every school holidays rent acamper and go exploring. It’s something they’ve been doing for years.
David & Kerrianne are working on restoring their Ford XC with some help from John at Baileys. They’re part of a local car cluband were enthusiastic about getting some cars along to the exhibition opening.
Jariya – Driving out of town observing the clouds I came across Jariya, she’s an award winning photographer. Her daughter lives in town and she decided to go for a walk. We shoteach others portraits, one keen observer to another.
John – Gunning station draws a regular collection of photographers, train enthusiasts and sightseers. In the late afternoon light we worked happily alongside each other composing images.
Craig – There are two camp areas in town, Barbour Park is very popular with a lovely outlook. Craig had scored the primeposition but his friends had set up at the Showgrounds so he reluctantly packed up.
John – I often saw John around Baileys garage. We discussed how hard it is to attract mechanics to work in the country. He’s been in Gunning for 11years and loves it.
John & Huxley – Walking past the farm supplies store in town I heard the most remarkable burbling laughter. Even for a group snap with mum and grandma Huxley wanted to be in Johns arms. A loving & deep connection.
Jo and Brett are from Wollongong and had been away to a rally organised by the manufacturer of their caravan. There is strongbrand alliance and the rally attracted over 100x of these very specialised caravans.
Caroline – I just loved the hoodie, pink hair and exuberant energy, we barely spoke for 2mins before she had to go.
Bianca works at the library and was sporting a KIZZ T shirt from their recent tour. She had originally lived in Canberra, thenmoved to Yass, and after THAT was too busy had finally settled in town.
Raffaella is on her way to an 88 day work placement for her visa. She’s just finished one on a farm in Moss Vale. Born in Italy, she normally works as a software developer.
Allen was the site supervisor for the Gunning station restoration. He’s been working on the project for several years, living in Mona Vale he stays locally during the week.
Ewan has been visiting Gunning since 2016. When the floods came through he was at the hotel and was evacuated at midnight as the river came up. A train enthusiast he was on the platform to shoot a train.
Edith – The hotel flooded in the big floods and most of the rooms are still stripped bare. Edith’s sister owns the hotel and she was there to help take care of it. Her smile is radiant, full of cheeky wit.
This exhibition is an STA project commissioned especially for the opening of Connect@GunningStation Arts & Cultural Hub and Supported by the NSW Government through the Stronger Country Communities Fund.
Thanks Hamish we love it 🙂
In Tranist images are NFS
Travelers
Through the lens of motion, connection, and the human condition, InTransit and La Petite Mort converge to explore the transient yet profound moments that shape our existence. These two series, created by Ta-mé, delve into the shared experiences of movement—whether through physical feats that defy gravity or the rhythms of daily life unfolding in the communal spaces of transit.
In La Petite Mort, Ta-mé captures elite athletes suspended in their quest for liberation from the pull of gravity. Using innovative techniques to freeze and animate moments of airborne flight, the work unveils the paradoxical beauty of power made vulnerable. These fleeting instants of weightlessness symbolize both triumph and melancholy—an ephemeral escape from the inevitability of returning to earthbound realities.
Conversely, InTransit explores the quieter, often overlooked rhythms of human movement. Through intimate portraits captured on train journeys and around the township of Gunning, Ta-mé reveals the collective energy of strangers briefly united in a shared trajectory. The railway carriages and streets become metaphors for our interconnected lives—spaces where stories converge, if only for a moment, before diverging once more.
Together, these works explore the tensions between stillness and motion, isolation and connection, transcendence and gravity. Both series remind us that life’s most profound experiences are found in the in-between: the pause before the fall, the glances exchanged between commuters, the spaces where our individual stories intersect.
The exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the universal desire for freedom—whether from the forces of nature, societal structures, or the confines of routine—and the fleeting moments that make such liberation both poignant and elusive.
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the traditional custodians of the lands where we create, live & work.
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