Tracey Moffatt

Watch Heaven. How did you feel when you were watching this montage? Did you find it difficult to watch? Does the hand-held footage make you feel sea sick? Share your responses with your classmates. Suggest reasons as to why you and your classmates responded in this way. Consider the subject matter and the manner in which the footage was captured.

Heaven has been described as documentary-style. Think about other documentaries you have seen. What documentary qualities does Heaven have?

Although filming in public spaces is legal, there is an expectation that we respect the privacy of other people. Heaven has been filmed in a public place. However, Moffatt’s subjects were not always willing or aware that they were being recorded. As a class discuss the ethical and moral issues of this. Consider other situations where this might occur, for example people captured during news broadcasts, leaving court or celebrities engaging in everyday activities. Is it ever ok to film someone without their knowledge or consent? What about surveillance? Conduct a class debate on the topic.

Conversely, in some parts of Heaven the men being filmed are in fact aware of the camera. Can you identify shots where this has occurred? How does the men’s behaviour change? Are the men being filmed in control of their portrayal or is Moffatt who is holding the video camera and later editing and creating the montage? Provide examples for your response.

Since the making of Heaven in 1997 advancements in technology have changed dramatically. Hand-held devices, the invention of social media and video sharing platforms have transformed how we record, edit and share visual information. The rise of the selfie has influenced the way some people want to present themselves – women may like to appear thin and flawless while men may try to look more masculine or muscular. As a class make a list of the stereotypical things men and women do to manipulate their appearance for an online platform. What types of things do the men do in Heaven to make themselves appear more powerful, masculine or attractive?

Historically, the female nude has been acceptable subject for male artists but it was considered an unsuitable subject for female artists. Despite this, female artists have been depicting nudes for centuries.

• Take a look at works of art depicting the female nude, made by men. Compare these to works of art depicting the female nude, made by women. Select two works of art and in pairs discuss the similarities and differences of these works.
• Compare Moffatt’s film Heaven to the work of American artist Sylvia Sleigh (1916 – 2010), an artist who sought to counteract stereotypical representations of women in art, by featuring nude men in poses that were more commonly seen by female models. Sleigh was concerned about turning male nudes into art subjects in the same way women had been objectified throughout art history. How have Moffatt and Sleigh depicted or captured their subjects – have they both captured the beauty of their subjects?
• Investigate and select three different representations of the human form throughout history and from a variety of contexts (not only Western traditions). What do these depictions tell us about the time they were created? What do they suggest about beauty, identity, religion or power – of the sitter or the artist who made them?

Create a film or photo-montage about your family and home. Experiment with a variety of composition techniques such as capturing images or footages through windows or different vantage points. Play with distance – zoom in and out, combining imagery of people and objects.

• Look at the series of Something More (1989). Write a sentence for each image telling the viewer what is happening in each photograph.
• Investigate the work of other artists who use film or television as inspiration for their photographic work such as Cindy Sherman. Compare their works to that of Tracey Moffatt and collect ideas for composition, style and storytelling that you might like to apply to your own work.
• Write a short story that you will portray in a series of 5 – 8 photographs. Like Moffatt, use yourself as the main model in your series.
• Create theatrical scenes in which to take your photographs. What props can you borrow from the drama department or bring from home? You may like to consider styling your photographs in your favourite genre of film or television program.

Sometimes artists who use photography in their work manipulate their image or their subjects. Does a photographer make or take a photograph? Provide examples for your answer. Tip: Also look at the work of Naomi Hobson.

First Jobs can sometimes trigger memories of early experiences of employment. Show these images to your parents or grandparents. What was their first job? Does this job still exist today? What was their favourite place to work?

• Take a photograph of this person and photoshop them into a scene where they are undertaking this job. Moffatt is sometimes influenced by advertising and TV from specific eras, you may like to edit your photograph so that it echoes some visual conventions of a particular time.
• Now Photoshop yourself into an image where you are doing a job you would like to have one day. Display your images side by side.

Look at the work of Naomi Hobson’s work titled Adolescent Wonderland and compare the use of high-key colour to the First Jobs series by Tracey Moffatt. How have both artists manipulated colour in their work? How are these artists’ works similar and different? Discuss the following statement in relation to Hobson’s and Moffatt’s photographs: ‘Colour is a powerful tool in art making, one that is emotive and can evoke nostalgia and humour.’