Archive - MIPIK

The Most Interesting Person I Know

Community Documentary Photography Project and Published Book

Selected Archive Credit

MIPIK, The Most Interesting Person I Know, was a community documentary photography and storytelling project created for the MIPIK platform and its published book. The project profiled more than sixty individuals from the Coffs Coast region, celebrating lived experience, resilience, creativity, and local knowledge.

This book is a chocolate box assortment of stories chosen to offer a taste of the variety of interesting people on the Coffs Coast.  We thank all the remarkable people on the Coffs Coast who have so generously shared their stories.
- Stephanie Hunt

 

MIPIK Publication - Weekend Location Photography Schedule

MIPIK Location Photography and Video Interviews

Project context

MIPIK originated as an online storytelling platform developed by writer Stephanie Hunt, bringing together written portrait essays and photographic documentation of everyday people whose lives reflected depth, humour, endurance, and quiet contribution to their community.

The project later evolved into a published book, public events, and live cultural activations, extending its reach beyond the screen and into physical, shared spaces across the region.

 

MIPIK Live - The official book launch at the Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour

MIPIK Live book launch, Jetty Memorial Theatre, Coffs Harbour. Preparation and backstage moments prior to performance

Role and contribution

I was engaged as the principal photographer for the MIPIK book and associated public events. My contribution encompassed studio and location portrait photography for featured participants, documentary photography for promotional, editorial, and publishing use, photographic production for the printed book, and visual documentation of live events, interviews, and performances. The work was developed collaboratively alongside the project’s writers, designers, and producers.

All imagery was produced specifically for MIPIK and used across digital publication, print, media, and live presentation.

 

"I know I speak for Leanne as well when I say, “Thank goodness for Raymond Mather.”  Not only has Raymond contributed his time and equipment to create the spectacular photography that adorns this book, he has infected the entire book project with his unique blend of creativity and excitement."
- Stephanie Hunt

 

MIPIK Official Website

MIPIK Facebook, social pages promotions

 

Cultural and community impact

MIPIK functioned as more than a book project. It became a shared cultural mirror for the Coffs Coast, offering visibility and recognition to people whose stories are rarely archived or published.

Importantly, all proceeds from the book and associated events supported the CanDo Cancer Trust, providing direct assistance to local cancer patients and their families. This positioned the project at the intersection of storytelling, art, and tangible community care.

 

MIPIK Book Signing, Dymocks, Coffs Harbour with Stephanie Hunt and Allan Sparkes

Errol Gray performing during The Most Interesting Person I Know (MIPIK) book launch and signing, Book Warehouse, Coffs Harbour

 

Live events and public presentation

The project extended into live formats through book launches and signings, public interviews and staged readings, and community events at venues such as the Jetty Theatre, Coffs Harbour. Photographic exhibitions and installations linked to the book’s release further expanded the work beyond publication, transforming the project from a static artefact into a participatory cultural experience.

 

MIPIK - Stephanie Hunt and a selection of concept promotional images for her publication The Most Interesting Person I Know

Archival significance

MIPIK stands as a time-specific cultural document, capturing the faces, voices, and lived experiences of a regional Australian community during the mid-2010s. Within the ART1 Archive, the project documents a sustained regional documentary photography practice, artist-led collaboration across writing, photography, design, and performance, and the use of photography as a tool for dignity, presence, and social connection. The integration of creative practice with ethical, community-focused outcomes positions MIPIK as both a cultural record and a socially engaged creative work.

ART1 Archive Context

This project forms part of a wider body of event direction, choreography, and community-based creative work developed prior to ART1.

View other related works and historical material in the Selected Credits.