Francesca Rosa: Interior Disaster

First published on 24 Jun 2009. Updated on 5 Apr 2011.

When Cyclone Larry hit in 2006, Francesca Rosa's mother lost half her house in the storm. Then Brisbane-based Rosa returned to her family home in Far North Queensland to take some snaps for insurance purposes, but started to see the damaged landscape from an artistic point of view. Eleven months later she went back to the Innisfail area again to record the aftermath of the cyclone and - through a chance encounter - was invited to photograph another wrecked house, which forms the subject of her exhibition Interior Disaster.

"When I first stepped into it I was overwhelmed," the photographer says. "The roof was exposed and there were birds inside the house. The smell of rotting carpet was overpowering. But it had this aura about it. The composition, the personal possessions, the colours; I knew it needed to be photographed."   

Rosa's images show a series of rooms in various states of turmoil and decomposition. Like many properties damaged by Larry, the house had not been cleaned up at all nearly a year after the event in order to leave evidence for insurers. In the photographs household objects, decorations and personal items are clearly visible: the sense is of a destroyed home rather than a destroyed property. The forensic style and absence of human subjects convey the air of a crime scene.

In keeping with Rosa's practice, the composition is entirely natural and the images have not undergone any digital manipulation. She admits to being a purist, intent on finding and representing her subjects with minimal interference. The stark realism makes her photography as much historical documentation as it is art, which is perhaps why the Queensland Art Gallery has added four of the photographs to its collection.

"The photos are a memorial and in a way they help deal with the tragedy of the situation. I think the victims were really touched by the immense media interest and support they received from all over." But as an artist there is a second motivation. "There's an aesthetic quality to the process of decay. There are amazing colours that emerge from decomposition; the visual aftermath can be really beautiful."Sarah Theeboom