Our Home
The Unseen Side of Merebank by Ravi Naidoo
“Our home: The unseen side of Merebank” is a photographic series aimed at breaking the stereotypical view of the suburb of Merebank.
The Decommissioned airport runway lights
I have lived here for over a decade, in a suburb that is synonymous with pollution and the ugly side of industry. It is this one dimensional perception of Merebank that I detest. While it is an inevitable truth that we are surrounded by industry it should not be a defining characteristic of a place that thousands of people call home.
Cuttings beach at dawn
As a photographer I always try to find beauty in the ordinary. If I look close enough there is always something fantastic to be found. That ideology formed the foundation of this project. I set out to find the unexpected pieces of life, beauty and creativity in our home and celebrate them with photography.
The Cutting at Tanjore Road
The landscapes featured in the series are places we all know of, drive past, but do not actually see as something special.
The Graffiti lining Duranta Road
There are so many truly interesting places in Merebank and I have chosen just a few : The creative graffiti lining Duranta Road , Cuttings Beach with its amazing lagoons and fisherman, the vegetable farmyard and marigold fields, the decommissioned run way lights surrounded by the wetland, with its array of unusual birds, the steep staircase at viewpoint, and the panoramic breaker views from Buldana Road. To me, all these places are landmarks of my home.
The Pier at Cuttings
We all deserve to be proud of where we live and so together with my models from Merebank we created a visual that embodies strength, pride and beauty.
The Marigold Fields at the farmyard
The Paragliding launch site on Buldana Road
Staircase at the Viewpoint
The Wetlands
Banana plantation at the farmlands
The View from Stand & Stare Studios Buldana Road
Photography : Stand & Stare Studios photography by Ravi Naidoo
Assistant : 09livephotography Reece Reuben
Models: Kiara Kemlall, Mel Reddy, Litisha Kotiah, Juweira Moosa, Taelin Chloe Naidoo , Tashnika Rampershad, Katelyn Naicker
Wardrobe : Stand & Stare Studios
Make up : Luminous Kreations – Mel, Litisha, Juweira & Chloe . Beauty by Rylisha – Kiara