Nipper I

Surf lifesaving originated in Sydney in 1907 and in addition to the voluntary lifeguard service it is now well established as a competitive surf sport in Australia and New Zealand (and increasingly in Canada and Europe). Competitive surf carnivals evolved from training activities designed to keep members fit and skilled at rescue and can lead participants to highly competitive events such as the elite iron man/woman world championships. A staple of surf club life, the surf carnival is a key activity for building friendships and community spirit and provides the opportunity and incentive for skill development. In these works, Narelle Autio depicts Australian Surf Lifesaving juniors, the Nippers. From beneath the waves, Autio gives us a rare glimpse of their fluid, even frenetic moments in stasis. Autio's camera captures figures submerged beneath dramatic, billowing clouds of churning surf in a glassy sea of ultramarine. Here, under the water, the field of competitive play is reduced to a study of the human form in a dream-like arena. Autio is acutely aware of the important role surf lifesavers play by patrolling and undertaking surf rescue, and it is the Nippers program that breeds the next generation: 'They are the future of this very selfless Australian tradition of patrolling the coastlines to keep all of us that use it, safe'. Over the last fifteen years, Autio has investigated the significance of coastal landscapes in the Australian psyche. Having worked for over a decade as an award-winning photojournalist, Autio is attuned to moments of heightened tension. Her photographs capture the un-staged moments of ordinary people with a poetic sensibility that pushes the limits of the photo-documentation genre.