Nungatta South is a community established on an old cattle station in Southern New South Wales in 1972. My parents and their friends thought the “world might end” and created a utopia that would survive the breakdown of society. I was one of the first children to live there, and the place remains deeply important to me. Reading about the self-sufficient Tasmanian Deny King, I was struck by the similarity to my memories of Nungatta: there is no pressure, yet things are done. Ingenuity is demanded to perform tasks that would be simple in the city. Values are different here. Jobs must be done to ensure survival. Self-sufficiency means doing all things.

Through still life I am working to capture these memories and the ethos of the community through the symbolism of objects. The tableaus I document—plastic Tupperware, skulls, cardboard boxes, chux wipes, broken crockery—emerge naturally from Nungatta’s sheds and houses. They echo a life of self-sufficiency, creativity, frugality, and the abandonment of cultural norms. Household items are re-purposed, curated, and cared for. They speak to an ethos of thrift, utility, and bohemian homeliness that has evolved at Nungatta over 40 years. Things are changing as members pass on, and while Nungatta remains vibrant, I wonder what will happen to it as the world does not end.