Place of Residence

In 2009 Dr Ruth Frost was invited to photograph at Oak Lodge (an historic home at Richmond) as part of Ten Days on the Island. Initially drawn to the stories of some of the more celebrated occupants, over time she became more interested in the house itself. The richness and variety of its history emphasised the perception of a transient human presence and the interior space of the house became her focus. She continued this approach – using the physical character of interior space to evoke memory and a sense of the ephemeral – as the project expanded to include the historic properties of Home Hill, Franklin House, Clarendon House, Runnymede, (all managed by the National Trust in Tasmania) and Steppes Cottage. Light animates these interiors. Frost uses it as a metaphor for the lives and memories confined within the house itself and as a way of bringing these two realities together.