Striking visuals by documentary photographer Matt Searles have gone on public display in Methven this week.
The ‘More than a Yarn exhibition’ officially opens this Saturday, 4pm, at the Mt Hutt Memorial Hall Gallery in Methven.
The exhibition offers a rare and intimate look into the lives of sheep farmers in the Rangitata Valley and was the first Methven showing for the Geraldine-based photographer
Searles, who also does freelance marketing and design, was former coowner of the Green Man Cafe at Peel Forest, and had a mail run contract in the valley.
He and his wife, Shelley, owned the cafe for seven years.
‘‘I still have the mail run contract with my wife (Mt Peel to Mesopotamia), hence why I’ve spent many many hours in the Rangitata Valley,’’ he said.
It was the perfect canvas for his work which featured on Instagram and garnered international interest in features and podcasts. He is on Instagram @matsearlesphotography
‘‘This is my first exhibit in Methven but I had a gallery show at Susan Badcock Gallery in Geraldine in October 2019 called ‘Land of the Close Sky’,’’ he said.
It was also about the Rangitata.
Searles said the current exhibit was the result of a five-year visual journey documenting one of New Zealand’s most iconic high-country regions.
It features imagery that reveals the deep interconnection between people, animals, and the rugged landscapes they inhabit.
He said it invites visitors into the world of the high country through photographs and immersive audio recordings using QR codes.
These soundscapes – drawn from the voices and sounds of the farm – give personal depth and authenticity to the visual experience, he said.
“My aim was not only to document a way of life, but to honour it,” Searles said.
“These are stories of endurance, care, and community told through the faces, hands, and landscapes of the Rangitata Valley.”
Searles’ work was influenced by British documentary photographer James Ravilious, known for his honest and compassionate depictions of rural life.
It presents everyday working life in a way that was both artful and real.
– More than a Yarn photography exhibition by photographer Matt Searles at Mt Hutt Memorial Hall Gallery, Methven on now until June 26. Free entry.
Official opening event on Saturday at 4pm. All welcome.
