Humanities and Social Sciences

Research in Visual Arts and Design

Julie Millowick

Research and Professional Practice

Using photographic techniques dating back to the mid 1800's - ie the very infancy of the medium - Julie Millowick has creates seductively beautiful imagery using the themes of the orient and the botanical

Julie places a translucent object directly onto sensitised paper, exposes it to light, then processes the paper in the normal way. Each image is unique, as neither camera nor film are used. The processes are referred to as cyanotype [a deep prussian blue colour] and photogram [traditional black and white] Depending on their degree of translucence, these mysterious images sometimes take up to 2 days to expose. 

Cyanotype and photogram transform the most mundane objects into elegant, exquisite and unique imagery, revealing information about the object which was previously hidden.

Recent projects, which have developed into exhibitions that have traveled and been widely, shown are:

“Paraphernalia" – Millowick describes this sequence of images as exploring "…..those articles of personal property which the law allowed a married woman to keep and deal with as her own, when most of her personal or movable property was vested in her husband." In April 2000, The Age wrote the following about Paraphernalia. "Mysteriously seductive images"

“Love Letters Of A Chinese Lady” – The letters that inspired this sequence of photograms were written by 18-year-old Lui Kwei-li in 19th Century China. In the letters she writes to her absent husband for whom, despite an arranged marriage, she as developed a great love. The photograms, combining images and text, some in English and some in Mandarin explore the full range of Kwei-li’s emotions as she writes of separation, life and loss.

In 2002 The Loveletters of a Chinese Lady was featured on "The Makers" programme, Radio National. Debra McCoy said "The maker is photographer Julie Millowick whose beautiful, ethereal photograms of fans, flowers, cloth and rich silks are a response to these letters"

“A Year In Our Lives” documents the influence English photographer and naturalist, Anna Atkins, had on Millowick's life and work. Anna Atikins was one of the early developers of the cyanotype process, which she used to document her plant and sea organism studies.

In April 2003 A Year in Our Lives received the following response from Robert Nelson in The Age."Millowick's exhibition is a tour de force in the medium, recalling in a sustained and poignant way the early photograms of Anna Atkins....Millowick's images not only work historically, but exploit the archaic and mysterious character of the technology in order to retrieve something primitive in a given motif. .....These are not mere studies of nature; nor do they simply recall old archives, but involve a personal expression of signs that have a haunting meaning for the artist."

On 21 march 2004 the ABC Radio national Sunday Morning Arts programme was devoted to photography and Julie was fortunate to be interviewed about the work of the pioneering photographer Anna Atkins, and several 'journal entries' - which formed the written narrative from "A Year in Our lives" were read and integrated into the discussion

“A Garden for Hazel” – During the ABC Australian Story documentary on Hazel Hawke’s battle with Alzheimer’s Disease, hazel said “I garden. Once a gardener, Always a Gardener.” Julie had the immediate reaction of hoping that this obviously enriching part of Hazel’s life would remain with her forever. That it would not be destroyed by the random cruelty so typical of that disease. Two days later Julie decided to make Hazel a two dimensional garden using the photogram and the cyanotype technique. This garden is now 50 plus images, and small copies were placed in a leather bound album and sent to Hazel Hawke. In April '05 "A Garden for Hazel", was shown at Span Galleries, Melbourne, and received a full page article in "The Age" written by Louise Bellamy Two colour photographs were included. A piece of this work was purchased by the Horsham Regional Art Gallery for their highly regarded and extensive collection. The exhibition and full support from the family of Hazel Hawke and the Hazel Hawke Alzheimer's Foundation.

Julie Millowick has also had a long involvement with documentary photography. Most recently she made a series of 90 portraits of workers at the KR Castlemaine meat-processing works – [formerly the Castlemaine Bacon Company] - which celebrated the central role that this industry has had in the life of Castlemaine during the last 100 years. These portraits printed as large vinyl banners combining images and hand written statements from the subjects were displayed throughout Castlemaine during the State Festival in 2005

©Julie Millowick - click thumbnails to enlarge

Image from 'Paraphernalia'	'Algae' from 'A Year In Our Lives'
'Dried Flowers In front Of A Window' from 'A Garden for Hazel'	Image from Love Letters of a Chinese Lady'
Image from 'Paraphernalia'	Detail of 'Washing Line' from 'A Garden for Hazel
'Kale' from 'A Year In Our Lives'	'Exquisite Scarfe and Fan' 2005 Cyanotype