52 suburbs around the world

In 2009 Louise Hawson realised she was a stranger in her own city of Sydney. So she spent a year exploring and photographing one new Sydney suburb a week in search of the beauty in the ‘burb, sharing what she found on a blog. That blog developed a strong following and in 2011 evolved into a book and a major exhibition, as well as served as the inspiration for a second project, 52 Suburbs Around the World. Having discovered how incredibly interesting it is to nose around the backyard of a big city, seeking beauty in both the built environment and people, Loise went on to explore and photograph the "unfamous" side of some of the world’s most famous cities – their suburbs/neighbourhoods – and share what she discovered in weekly posts on a new blog.

January in Hong Kong, February in New Delhi, March in Istanbul. Then on to Paris, Rome and Berlin from April-August before heading to New York in September and October. Many of the photographs are presented as diptychs with a short caption ; a playful way of presenting images that allows Loise to make connections between seemingly unrelated things and to tell "mini stories". The interesting (and somewhat unconventional) thing, is that her daughter, Coco, followed Louise in her photographic voyage around the world. She ultimately began the project as an eight year old, used to the constant routine of school and friends and by the end of the year was nine and used to home schooling on the road and living out of a suitcase.