In the wake of the 2022 flood, award-winning Lismore photographer Jacklyn Wagner took a series of portraits of flood-affected community members in their damaged homes. The result is a “love letter to Lismore and its resilient spirit” featuring 100 portraits.
The photos are currently on display in NSW Parliament, hosted by Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin MP. The exhibition is open to the public until the 25th of May, either in-person at Parliament House, or via the virtual exhibition here
“Walking and driving around the streets (following the flood)… there was an adrenalin-like energy; hundreds of people were helping each other in countless ways. In the back of my mind were the first stirrings of what I might do photographically. I decided I would just let it come to me,” Jacklyn says.
“A fortnight later, I woke up one morning and knew exactly what I needed to do. I would document the actuality of residents in their ruined surroundings, if they would let me, exactly as I found them. I would simply ask them – people who had lost everything or saved something; people who now needed to start reclaiming their homes and lives – if I may take a picture of them. No lights, no paraphernalia – just a picture.
“I knew it was important to document these moments in time…”