Tilly Time by m ellen burns

Details

Year: 2022
Medium: Photograph printed on metallic paper

• Retail price for the framed work is for pick-up from NERAM, Armidale. Shipping Australia-wide can be arranged and will be invoiced separately.
• Retail price for unframed prints already includes shipping Australia-wide

Description

"It's always fun; it's always fun to entertain the others and, you know, make sure everyone's having a good time at the end of the night, 'cause that's what we're there for. We're there to entertain and I love it because I get enjoyment out of it as well. I love dressing up, doing my makeup, all of that type of stuff, so I do it for me as much as doing it for other people."

In this image, Tilly is working at the Main Reef Tavern in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. She takes a moment to sip her Diet Coke through a straw, carving out a brief pause in the hustle of skimpy life. The contrast of her glamorous nails – long, decorated and slightly destroyed – reflects the effort and dedication she invests in her role, balancing personal style with the realities of the job. 

In the Goldfields of WA, pubs featuring skimpy bartenders in lingerie have long been a distinctive tradition. Through this project I wanted to preserve this unique cultural facet. This image comes from the project 'No Photos of the Girls,' which has evolved into a photography book titled 'Skimpies.'

Biography 

m ellen burns is a portrait and arts photographer with a special interest in work involving community participation. Her recent work has been shortlisted for the Australian Photographic Awards (2021, 2022), Australian Life Photographic Award (2023), Head On Photographic Portrait Prize (2022, 2023) and the Olive Cotton Award for Excellence in Photographic Portraiture (2017, 2019, and 2023).

Home: Kalgoorlie, WA

Size: 690mm x 460mm with approximately 30mm frame