Wittenoom

About

The town of Wittenoom is located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Wittenoom was officially shut down in 1966 due to major health concerns regarding the blue asbestos which was being mined nearby. It is now little more than a ghost town. Over 1000 lives have been lost to asbestos-related diseases as a result of the Wittenoom disaster. My grandfather, who along with my grandmother, immigrated there in the early 1950s, became one of those victims. This installation combines image, sound, and spoken word in an attempt to create a memorial of the Wittenoom disaster. Furthermore, it considers the importance of universal themes: home, working life, memory, and family.