DH: Right – I didn’t know that when I first saw the work, but it seemed to me that these are so far removed from that type of stuff – it’s part of what makes them sing I think. So you are now pursuing a fine art academic career; is that right?

TP: “Yes, with Covid last year I had to put my new work on hold and go back to previous work, but now I’m diving into this new work, thinking more about this new project, about this and how it fits into the world of fine art. You don’t see work like this hanging in galleries and I think, well, why shouldn’t you? I’m able to combine a passion for photography with this interest in things to do with science and technology. To me – in these spaces – some of the things they are creating are like an art. It’s amazing, and we don’t see that normally within that world of art. Having had some recognition for the work – within the sphere of fine art – is amazing, because it means that there is a broader interest for my work than just me. Knowing there’s a viewing audience for this work is important.”

DH: Looking at this new project there seems such a narrative there; a bit like a moment in an interrupted human story. But there was something that also grabbed me from an aesthetic sense, and I found it perhaps more intriguing than the earlier project – perhaps more personal? Maybe it’s because in the earlier work I could see the Influences of Jeffrey Smart and Mark Kimber and I could use that as a shortcut and think – Oh yeah, I see what he’s doing here. But with this later work it was more a case of – What the hell is he doing here? It was more mysterious.

“Well, I guess the exteriors, the mundane, is not a new idea, and this work is not new either I guess, but it’s perhaps a lot less familiar. It’s similar to the other work in that it is taking the familiar but putting it in a different context. I’m showing these spaces in a different way, in a way that the people who use the spaces don’t see.”

DH: So you’re giving the viewer an invitation; inviting them to go with you down this path…

TP: “And that’s exactly how I feel – even with the exterior shots as well. There’s a bit of a danger in the world of art; there’s the artist statement, but I don’t like these overly conceptual, overly wordy statements trying to justify what you’re looking at. You just need to tell me enough to get me interested. I can’t force the audience through the door, but I can open it and invite them in. I mean, your work needs to make that first impression, but then it needs a second impression, and a third impression.”

DH: Well put; that seems to sum it up beautifully. Thanks for opening the door and thanks for the chat.