Shrouds

Shrouds

Mike Reed

Exhibition dates: March 8 – 30, 2013

Richmond, Victoria

‘Shrouds’, by Mike Reed is a collection of photographs of covered cars. His love of gleaning was inherited from
his ‘rag and bone’ father who amassed a metal detritus found on the bicycle route home from the factory where
he worked. This assortment was stockpiled in his father’s rusted sheds, which appeared like an ‘Aladdin’s cave’
to a youthful Mike.

‘The car was draped with a plastic sheet in the back blocks of Surfers Paradise whilst seeking to photograph
decay in the landscape….You start with one and then see another then… over time, the medley plays into a collection.
.. patterns precipitate or idiosyncrasies evolve from within…This is the joy of “seeing”.

Mike equates the car covers to the burial garments adorning the dead in preparation for resurrection. Mike cites
the ‘wrapping’ of objects found in the work of artists’ Christo, Jean Claude, May Ray and Magritte as inspiration.
‘Within my category of covered cars I began to view these still loved but lifeless vehicles, as if a resurrection was
about to take place … for the heavenly roads of restoration or hell.’

This incredible accumulation of images spans over two decades and 6 countries. A small selection has been
chosen for this exhibition and a larger range appears in his book to be launched at the opening of ‘Shrouds’.

‘I had to finish this project… get it out of my head…’

From studying architecture to now shooting archetypes in the street, Mike was a film editor for 42 years, always
with camera in his limited breaks from TV commercial post production. Street Photography now occupies most
of his time.