The Must-See Visual Arts Premiere of the Adelaide Festival 2026
The decay of the ‘good ole US of A’ has been long in decline, way before award-winning South Australian photography, Alex Frayne took himself on road trips across the heartlands of America. Frayne just knew how to capture it well in perfectly framed photos, showing the side of America that contradicts the Hollywood fantasy and persona of the country being powerful and heroic. He shows and tells a different side in this all-new immersive experience, Manifest Destiny.
The contrast between cities, religious identities and the seedy dark sides of rural and Bible Belt America area all portrayed in many faces, sites and spaces. Frayne tells us that the most fascinating part of his trips were the people. People willing to tell their stories such as the women owning unashamedly over a thousand guns or the homeless on skid row afflicted by the tragedies of their surroundings.
Blended with the Frayne’s analogue photography, with ILA’s Melissa Lee and her digital team along with music by with ARIA-winning composer Donnie Sloan (Empire of the Sun, Sneaky Sound System) the combined creative and technical collaboration brings a dramatic visual contrast of the wealth and power of America. Frayne’s narration of the film explains the ‘battered and the bruised’ America. ‘Humanity is responsible for making things right in a society so divided.’
Sit down, watch the immersive film then wander around the gallery and take in Alex Frayne’s photography.
Fringe Review By Anastasia Lambis