Art & culture
Ruth O’Leary turns a station booth into a studio
A 2017 work brings motherhood and photographic practice into the same space.
A studio does not always need to be a room kept permanently for making art. Ruth O’Leary found another arrangement in the photobooth by Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station, bringing her baby, costumes and backdrops to the machine.
The museum’s account
The National Gallery of Victoria records Flinders Street, 2017 as a digital type C photograph. Its text describes O’Leary adapting the booth to continue her photographic practice after the birth of her first child. The work was acquired in 2025; that is not its creation date.
Evidence: Collection record
What the final object tells us
A work made through a booth can later exist as a larger print in a different medium or format. Keep the production setting separate from the museum object’s specifications. The title, dimensions and medium of the collected photograph do not imply that an ordinary station machine produced that large exhibition print.
A practical lesson about constraints
For your own portrait session, decide which part of a larger idea will fit into the available frame. Test a backdrop’s visible area, clear the floor and keep the session comfortable for everyone involved. A limited space can suggest a composition; it need not be disguised as a fully equipped studio.
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- National Gallery of Victoria — Ruth O’Leary, Flinders StreetCollection record