Spark
The sea is so immense .. a majority of people "heading to the sea", once back home, talk about the weather, activities at the beach, beachfront property development, the people encountered, the conversations, the food.. is it because the sea is so immense to grasp that we do not mind to observe the details in the sea? Or do we do the same with ourselves .. too immense to grasp, so we speak of the weather instead?
Impermanence, high tide is a conversation between our inner self and the sea. My conversation lasted months, with my photo camera as my notebook. I talked to her, always when she was at her high. I maintained the exact same point of view.. location, azimuth, elevation, composition.. to minimise my own impact when observing her .. or so I thought, then.
At the left, one can see "the sea". Depicting her in shades of grey, invites the viewer to look and experience characteristics beyond color: structure of the surface, the waves..
At the right, each horizontal serie is a moment of high tide, with each photograph a couple of seconds separated in the time serie. A curated selection of 7 high tide sequences in a 12 month period is displayed on the right side.
Often the sea is depicted in painting, photography, film, .. when she is shouting, whipping upon mankind, mankind made vessels and structures, mankind left to the sea's devices.
Maybe one day I'll reach out to her with my lens based notebook when she is shouting, however for now, I selected the conversations at lower voice, even whispering now and then. When she whispers, she surprised me with details never paid attention to before.
Looking back at my notes, I started to see variations in synonyms, punctuations, the subtile changes in the energy of words, rhythm, pitch and silences to express herself.
It took me a long time to understand what I was really noting down. The sea has no fixed self .. never twice the same surface, never the same voice .. pure impermanence. And yet, by returning to her month after month, from the same point of view, an identity appeared. Not in her, not in me, but in the conversation between us. I had wanted to minimise my impact, to observe her as she is. I know now there is no such thing. Every choice .. the high tide, this horizon, the shades of grey, these seven sequences .. was me giving her a voice. A portrait of the sea is also a self-portrait.
I wish you intense and detailed conversations encompassing all of her verbiage next time you both meet.
As for now, I share my notes with you..
Specifications
Print on Photo Rag
Size: 262 x 108 cm - 103.15 x 42.5 inch
(bespoke dimensions and Light-box on request)
Limited Edition.
Exhibitions
May 28th - June 1st 2025, Solo expo at Beyond Space, Antwerp, Belgium
February 23rd - March 10th, 2019
Group expo Oerklassiek at Scharpoord, Knokke, Belgium