Julie … “Disko Meri” … Found ! …

I mentioned in a post back in April – “Disko Meri Does It Again” – that I had been so far unable to let my Papua New Guinea bar girl subject Julie know about the success of her portrait in various photography events and awards around the planet over the last couple of years … Sydney (Head On Portrait Prize) and Cairns (QMMA Awards) Australia, New York City (Photoville 2015), Moscow (MIFA), Hyderabad India (Head On) and the ‘International Color Awards’ to name but a few.

I made the image at the Diamond Club in a not too salubrious part of Port Moresby. The club does not have a telephone or internet presence and it was impossible to contact her.

So … during a nights stopover in Port Moresby on my way to Manus Island a few weeks ago I dropped into the Diamond Club armed with a print and accompanied by PNG friends Margo and Raymond. At first it seemed that Julie would never know as we were told she no longer works at Diamonds. Fortunately someone found her brother in law who was in the club that eve and he offered to jump in a taxi (at our expense) and go and pick her up.

About an hour later a very bemused and rattled Julie arrived and was presented with a large print and told of her World wide fame. Julie explained that she was no longer working and was now a (single) mother of twins!

In the two years since I made the image Julie had changed from a confident up front bar girl into a quieter softer more lissome young mother of two baby boys. She said she was going to give the print to her mum …

Below is a pic © Raymond Nugent (Thanks Raymond) … of Julie in the Diamond Club with her print.

Disko Meri - Julie - Diamond Club - PNG - Print - Brian Cassey

 

“Disko Meri” Does It Again …

“Disko Meri” – an image I made of nightclub bar girl Julie in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea – has been recognised yet again, taking out an “Honourable Mention” in the ‘Portrait’ category of the prestigious “9th International Color Awards”.

The planet wide annual photography awards bill themselves as “The World’s most watched photo show” and all winners were announced in a four and a half hour live streaming online event. Must admit I missed that bit …

“Disko Meri” has received quite a bit of attention over the past year or so … and previously was recognised in the ‘Head On Portrait Prize’, the ‘Moscow International Foto Awards’ (MIFA) and the ‘Queensland Multi Media Awards’.

Sadly … I have not been able to thank my subject Julie personally so far. The bar where she works in Port Moresby does not have either a phone number or internet presence. I intend on my next visit to Port Moresby to make it a priority to visit her again at the ‘Diamond Club’ to thank her and present her with a print … the very least I can do.

Below … and at the risk of boring you with it again … is the portrait of Julie – “Disko Meri”

Image © Brian Cassey

"DISKO MERI - PNG Bar Girl" - Honorable Mention 9th International Color Awards - Brian Cassey

Finalists, Finalists, Semi-Finalists …

Seems it’s the time of year for very welcome emails regarding a variety of photographic awards … although the eventual outcome of each is still very much up in the air. Over the last few weeks I have received news of ‘short list’ inclusions in each of the Fremantle International Portrait Prize, the Queensland Multi Media Awards … and the Moran Contemporary Photographic Prize.

Two of my portraits have been selected as Finalists in the Fremantle International – one of Cape York indigenous legend Tommy George (“The Last of the Kuku Thaypan”) – and the other of young Cape York sisters (“Jillaroos”). The results will be announced and the exhibition of Finalists work opened at the Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery in Fremantle on Saturday October 24th – and I will be making the cross country trek to catch up with exhibiting colleagues.

The Queensland Multi Media Awards reach an impressive milestone this year … with the presentation evening marking twenty years of rewarding the work of Queensland’s media professionals. This week the three Finalists for each category were announced for the twentieth anniversary event – and my work was selected as a contender in ‘Best News Photograph’ with an image made whilst covering the horrific Murray Street massacre “Mourning Our Dead Brothers and Sisters” … and in ‘Best Editorial Image/Photograph’ for the pic of PNG bar girl Julie entitled “Disko Meri” (the same image that was chosen as part of the Head On Portrait Prize exhibition). Looking forward to a big night on presentation eve at the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino on Saturday November 7th.

The image from the Murray Street massacre coverage of the surviving brother and sister mourning next to the murder scene has also been selected as a Semi-Finalist in the prestigious Moran Prize. The announcement of the selected thirty ‘Finalist’ images that will make up the Moran exhibition at Juniper Hall in Paddington Sydney and each receive a cheque from the $80,000 prize pool, will be made shortly. Fingers crossed on that one but realistically not holding my breath.

Below I’ve posted – top to bottom and © Brian Cassey – the images mentioned above – “The Last of the Kuku Thaypan”, “Jillaroos”, “Mourning Our Dead Brothers and Sisters” and “Disko Meri”.

 

"Tommy - Last of the Kuku Thaypan" Tommy George is the last of the Kuku Thaypan aboriginal tribe from Laura far north Queensland Australia. He is the last remaining speaker of his tribal language and the last full blood of his tribe. When he dies his language and 42000 years of history will die with him..

"The Aak Puul Ngantam Stockman" - Jillaroos Nina Willmann 5 - Junior Jillaroo - Shae-Anne Willmann - Jillaroo ... at the indigenous pastoral company APN Cape York

Murray Street Cairns massacre - the last remain siblings after the murder of 9 children - Norena Warria and Lewis Warria (with Norena's son Cassius) mourne at the Murray Street shrine next to the murder scene.

"DISKO MERI" - PNG Bar Girl Julie - in Port Moresby's 'Diamond Club''