Cherine Fahd to chair Powerhouse photography advisory group

Associate Professor Cherine Fahd from the School of Design has been appointed co-chair of the Powerhouse Photography Advisory Group – a group of photographers and industry and community representatives who will connect the Powerhouse to industry and embed knowledge, insights and advice to inform curatorial strategies.

Powerhouse recently announced the acquisition of the archive and fund of Australia’s leading institution dedicated to photography and lens-based media - the Australian Centre for Photography. This landmark agreement will see Powerhouse acquire ACP’s photography archive and fund worth approximately $1.6 million, a transformational gift that will continue ACP’s legacy and elevate Powerhouse’s photography collection and image-making practices, under the name of Powerhouse Photography.

Associate Professor Fahd reflected on the significance of the acquisition.

‘Today everyone’s a photographer. Making, sharing and looking at photographic images is something we all do. Photography’s pervasiveness across all aspects of human experience means we can take this powerful technology for granted; it is everywhere and nowhere, so ubiquitous as to be invisible. The Powerhouse Photography initiative declares photography’s cultural value at the precise moment we may have forgotten its significance in art and design, through to science, medicine, law, communication and commerce. This critical and timely initiative offers a renewed focus on photography as a social and creative practice with a significant history and an even more vital future.’ 

The Australian Centre for Photography has been central to industry and community engagement with photography for nearly 50 years. Powerhouse Photography will amplify the profile of Australian photography and lens-based media supporting photographers across their careers through commissions, acquisitions and national and international engagement opportunities. It will continue the mission of ACP through an ongoing series of programs, publications, learning and research activities dedicated to the promotion and development of photography in Australia.

The ACP’s extensive archive provides an unrivalled survey of photography practice in Australia from its inception in 1974 to the present day. Powerhouse will digitise the ACP archive making this significant resource accessible to the public for the first time. This foundational gift from ACP provides the impetus for Powerhouse to evaluate and expand upon its existing photography collection and develop an Australian Photography Archive.