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A person stands atop a vast heap of discarded tyres under a clear blue sky. Behind them, a rusted metal structure with a pipe and a hanging weight rises from the pile.

Mad Max-esque shots of the Australian outback from Wouter Van de Voorde

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Date
23 July 2014

Belgian photographer Wouter Van de Voorde started out as a painter in his homeland before discovering that photography offered him more of the creative freedom and opportunity for introspection than his original medium. Since taking up photography he’s exiled himself to Autralia where he uses his outsider status as a driver for creative expression, exploring the quirks and nuances of Australian culture and landscape in the hope of creating a sense of belonging through his work.

This process of coming to terms with Australia’s otherness is particularly clear in his New Normal series, a collection of seven images that see Wouter roaming around Sandpit Party, Australia’s answer to Burning Man. For the Flanders native, the stark opposition to his homeland is palpable – all baron landscape and industrial degradation – his surroundings serving as a Mad Max-esque reminder of just how different two Western countries can be.

A person in a grey tank top and jeans reclines across the bonnet of a burnt-out car. Another person crouches beside the vehicle, leaning into the open driver's side door.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

Palm trees stand in a flooded landscape, their trunks submerged in still water. The trees and a pale, cloudy sky are reflected clearly on the water's surface.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

A dark sedan is parked alone in a vast, flat desert landscape. Low hills and industrial structures are visible on the horizon under a pale, hazy sky.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

Bare, spindly tree branches rise from a dry, sandy landscape. In the centre, several grey concrete pipes lie scattered on the ground near a body of water.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

A rusted, stripped-back car frame sits against a rocky hillside. A single red siren is mounted on the roof, and spare tyres fill the interior.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

A pile of oversized, weathered tyres dominates the foreground of a dusty landscape. In the background, a person stands beside a tall, red metal oil pump jack under a pale blue sky.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

A person crouches beside a damaged, white car in a dusty desert landscape. In the background, several off-road vehicles are parked under a pale blue sky.
Above

Wouter Van de Voorde: New Normal (detail)

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About the Author

James Cartwright

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James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

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