The probing lens of the photographer is a bugbear for many Hollywood stars, but in an upcoming Sydney exhibition by Australian shooter Hugh Hamilton some of the film world's brightest talents reveal prized personal objects that have inspired them.
Rosebud, presented by the Sydney Film Festival and part of the Head On Photo Festival, examines objects in our lives that hold particular personal significance. They often tell a story about a person and who they aspire to be, objects that hold little meaning for anyone else but are highly prized by one individual.
Los Angeles-based Hamilton was inspired by Orson Welles' famous film Citizen Kane and its plot revolving around the death of media magnate Charles Foster Kane. After his death, journalists attempt to decipher the tycoon's final word: 'Rosebud'. After a long investigation, it turns out to be Kane's childhood sled.
Hamilton's exhibition is a striking set of portraits showing some of the world's brightest talents with their special objects such as Steve Martin's collapsable top hat.
"This hat was one of my first magician's props, a collapsable top hat. When I bought it, it was probably 20 years old, and I got it in 1955 or 1956 and it still operates," said Martin.
Other movie figures in the exhibition include Anthony LaPaglia, Bojana Novakovic, Joel Edgerton and David Michod.
The exhibition runs from 6 June - 15 June and is at the Sydney Film Festival Hub at Lower Town Hall, corner of Druitt and George streets, Sydney. Opening hours are 5pm - 12am on week days and 12pm - 12am on weekends and public holidays.
Steve Martin's collapsible top hat. Image by Hugh Hamilton.
Image by Hugh Hamilton
