IN CONVERSATION: WARD ROBERTS

It must be the week for mesmerising Australian art. Following yesterday's interview with video and photo artist Daniel Crooks, today we speak with Melbourne-based photographer Ward Roberts whose book, Courts, was launched last night. The culmination of a four-year project documenting sporting courts and fields across the globe, Mr Roberts' debut monograph, published by Erm Books, is an intriguing documentary of the calm abandonment of these locations set amidst dense urban landscapes, from Hong Kong's pastel high rises to the brick palette of New York City. Below is an exclusive preview of pages from Mr Ward's Courts.

What's the attraction to courts? 
As a kid I played sports every weekend and spent a lot of my younger life being very active. I was curious to find out if this was still a universal lifestyle. 
The images are so striking in combination. Was a book always the goal?
A book was never my intention when I began the series. It just seemed like a nice goal as the series progressed. 
What lengths did you travel to creative these images? 
During my travels I photographed in Melbourne, Hong Kong, London and New York. It's taken me four years to collect every location. When it came to shooting I'd often spend days on end searching for courts. 
Do you have a favourite image? 
I came across a court on the island Cheung Chau in Hong Kong. The court is right next to the beach and presented itself as such a quiet spot. The light that day was quite unusual as it gave the slight impression that a storm was coming. 
What's next? 
I'm planning on making the move overseas. As for my photographer, I have four series planned that will be short on large format film and will be moving away from square format. With at least one of the series I plan on pushing myself in a direction I wouldn't normally focus on or feel comfortable shooting. 

Courts by Ward Roberts, $20AUD, ermbooks.