Someone asked me the other day if I think “there are more wheels than doors in the world?” I was torn. I felt that the more doors I thought of, the more wheels I would think of in the world. To be completely honest, I’m still torn between the two. However, one thing I found intriguing about the question when thinking of it in Thursdays’ class was how much more interesting wheels can be, particularly car wheels. Now, I’m not a car fanatic, but I thought of more than just the look of the wheel or a car when taking my photos today.

 

 

 

 

 

What intrigued me about the car wheels today was the idea of brand, design and globalisation. Without paying attention to the exterior design of the car, I thought about how the particular design that each car wheel (rim) was designed to communicate to people. Of course, we can see the logo in the middle of every rim, but there’s a unique or signature look to each rim that people can observe and understand about the brand, whether it’s luxurious, sophisticated, or ‘race like’. One of the most intriguing thoughts that came to my head is the fact each car brand represents a level of manufacturing and engineering from a particular country. All these different cars from different countries on different roads in all kinds of countries.

 

 

This image captures how people see cars most of the time. On the go and on the move. This image presents the environment in which cars are seen.

Lastly, the rim captured in this image is how we see wheels most of the time. In motion.

Just like our lives. In motion.

“I’m new here!” Mario said,

“Where you from, my brother?” I asked. “I’m from Ghana.” Mario replied.

I was chatting to Mario about cameras before he told me that he’s new to Melbourne, Australia. I had made the impression that he was from Melbourne and referred him to a film development lab in Collingwood.

“You know, back in Ghana, I used to be a photographer myself.”, Mario said as he told me which camera he used. He sounded a bit disheartened when mentioning it, though, as he proceeded to tell me about his quick travels to Melbourne in which he said he had to sell his things in Ghana “to fund my flight…”. It’s a new start for Mario in Melbourne. It’s his first time leaving Ghana for Australia, and he has come to study for his Master’s in Data Science. Being a child of an immigrant myself, I had to ask him whether his parents were proud of him. Typically with African parents, it’s imperative that they boast about their kids’ achievements. In this case, though, Mario laughed and replied, “they don’t care.”. We laughed, to which I was surprised. But of course, some African parents are consumed by other things other than their children’s studies. If there were more words here, I would have loved to explore that. However, our interaction was pure. I asked him relevant questions about his arrival in Melbourne from one African to another. He shared with me that his family is back in Ghana. At the same time, he lives in Tarneit, Victoria, which coincidentally happens to be where I grew up. I welcomed him to Melbourne and suggested suburbs for him to look at closer to the city.

Another day of Africa to the world. An interaction that many Africans are all too familiar with.