Acknowledgement of Country

Ballarat International Foto Biennale acknowledges the Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and create. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and honour the deep traditions of storytelling, culture and connection held by First Nations peoples across Australia.

Workshop: Creating with Architecture

Creating with Architecture: A Photography and Poetry Workshop

$55, Saturday 23 May 2026, 10 am–12 pm, Ballarat Central

Join Ballarat locals photographer Georgina Matherson and poet and historian Nadia Rhook for a hands-on workshop exploring the intersections of photography and poetry.

Engaging with the exterior of the National Centre for Photography, housed in the former Union Bank building, you will take photographs and write poetry in response to its layered histories. Through a series of guided exercises, the workshop considers how attention to both the visible and invisible aspects of a building can shape creative responses to place.

No prior experience in photography or writing is required.

There will be an option to develop work created during the workshop for possible inclusion in an online exhibition on the Ballarat Foto website.

This workshop is presented as part of Ballarat Heritage Festival.

Workshop Details

Date: Saturday 23 May 2026
Time: 10 am–12 pm
Location: Meet outside the National Centre for Photography, 4 Bath Lane, Ballarat Central
Cost: $55

What to Expect

  • A guided walk around the National Centre for Photography building, exploring its architectural features and its layered histories.
  • A series of short, accessible photography and poetry exercises, including:
    • Practical guidance from photographer Georgina Matherson about composition, working with light, texture and detail.
    • Writing prompts influenced by the building’s and site’s history led by Nadia Rhook.
  • Time to work on your own, as well as opportunities to share and reflect on your work in a supportive group setting.

What to Bring

  • Camera (film or digital welcome) or smart phone
  • If shooting film, bring enough for the duration of the workshop
  • A pen and paper or a device to write with
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Weather-appropriate clothing, and
  • Water bottle.

Learning Outcomes

  • Develop new strategies for creative responses to architecture through both image and text.
  • Build confidence in using photography and poetry as tools for observing and interpreting place.
  • Gain an understanding of how history can inform creative practice.
  • Learn practical techniques for composing images and generating draft poems.
  • Explore the relationship between visual and written storytelling.
  • Create a work that may be developed further for an online exhibition.
Georgina Matherson, Building 8 RMIT Completed in 1993 Edmond and Corrigan Pty Ltd, 2009.

Meet Your Facilitators

Georgina Matherson

Georgina Matherson, reflected in window.

Georgina Matherson is a visual artist whose practice is grounded in abstraction, observation, and an enduring curiosity about the world. Based in Bungaree, Victoria, Matherson draws on creative exploration to produce work that invites reflection and interpretive engagement.

Matherson holds a Bachelor of Arts, Honours in Photography from RMIT University. Her time at RMIT played a formative role in her development as an artist, providing the opportunity to immerse herself in visual culture and historical archives while deepening her technical and conceptual skills. Working across documentation, digitisation, and conservation, she cultivated an approach to image-making that is both reflective and research-driven.

Throughout her career Georgina has exhibited extensively in a range of both solo and group exhibitions and collaborated with artists and musicians on film, video, and audiovisual installations. Teaching and community engagement have also informed her practice, enriching her understanding of how visual language can foster connection and shared meaning.

Her abstract work invites viewers to slow down, ask questions, and decipher meaning for themselves—often arriving at moments of calm through ambiguity and layered form.

Nadia Rhook

Nadia Rhook.

Nadia Rhook (she/her) is a poet, historian, and educator, and the author of two history-themed poetry collections: boots and Second Fleet Baby. Nadia has been researching and publishing history for over a decade and has delivered tours and workshops for various festivals and community groups, including the Melbourne Writer’s Festival and the Sonic Poetry Festival. Her third collection, Stone Veins, connects with the history of bluestone mining on Wadawurrung Country and will be released by Cordite Books in 2026. Nadia currently facilitates place-based creative workshops and writes about colonialism, ecology, health and love.

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