The Christmas Tree Bucket - Trent Parkes Family Album

Trent Parke

AUSTRALIA. South Australia. Adelaide. 2008. © Trent Parke/Magnum Photos

In November 2004, our first son Jem was born.
At the time my partner Narelle and I lived in a small, two-bedroom apartment in Sydney.
Apart from two years living in a tent, I had spent the last 15 years of my life living in apartment blocks.

In October 2006 our second son Dash was born.
Our small two-bedroom apartment became even smaller.

Things had to change. Wanting more space, family support and a change of scenery we moved to the city of Adelaide, Narelle's place of birth.

On arriving in Adelaide, with our life in storage, we bunkered down with Narelle's folks while we tried to find a place to live.
Like my parents in Newcastle, they live in the suburbs.

One afternoon I decided to venture to the local mega mall, specifically to the hairdresser. After removing all of my very long hair the very young hairdresser said 'There you go, a new hair cut for a new start'.
I thought, that's nice and what a great thing it was to be able to see again.

On returning to the in-laws that evening I started to feel very odd and a little queasy.
As day turned to night I lay down on the freshly mown back lawn and watched
clouds drift past a nearly full moon. I expected to hear a dog howl or a cat wail.

I started vomiting, violently, and uncontrollably.
I grabbed the nearest thing I could throw up into.

Narelle and her parents, Laurie and Ann were sitting in the back room watching the TV.

'Narelle' I yelled out, again throwing up.

'What' she said, 'You want me to come out and photograph you?'.

'Yeah' I yelled back.

'Ohh you've got to be joking' Laurie gasped, as he rose from his chair.

Narelle came out and climbed on to a table. The sudden blast of the flash lit up what I could smell, but couldn't see.

Bright, brilliant, red.

Ann joined the crowd gathering to see the show.

Another flash. Bright, brilliant, red.

Ann yells, 'Ohhh Laurie he's vomiting into the Christmas tree bucket!'

Another flash.

And it was there, while staring into that bright red bucket, vomiting every hour on the hour, for fifteen hours straight, that I started to think how strange, families, suburbia, life, vomit and in particular, Christmas…. really was.

Trent Parkes new exhibition "The Christmas Tree Bucket - Trent Parkes family album" will be shown at the Australian Centre for Photography from 21st November 2008 to 21 January 2009.

Links
» Trent Parkes Magnum Portfolio
» View Trent Parkes Magnum In Motion essay "Minutes to Midnight"