Sea Wrack

2023

35mm & 16mm buried in seaweed

During 2023 I began burying 35mm film cassettes amongst piles of seaweed along the intertidal zone of Mākara beach. The resulting images visualise the pollutant load that seaweed absorbs from contaminated waters, as it eats away at the film emulsion for four weeks, reacting with the negative’s chemical makeup.

To build upon this project, I buried a reel of 16mm film amongst the seaweed for 10 days, before being hand-processed with my seaweed developer. I am interested in using materials gathered from the place within the camera frame, resulting in a kind of oceanic self-portrait. As this project continues to unfold, I am interested in monitoring levels of shoreline toxicity to see if there is a relationship between its condition and the image it produces. The texture and tone of the photograph are a result of the combined properties of water and seaweed. Through these images, I’m wondering if the ocean is expressing its health. 

Different kinds of seaweed produce varying results based on the concentration of phenols present, affecting the developing potency. The same timing, temperature, and measurements can be used consistently but do not guarantee an image. Collaborating with the ocean's living matter and the marine pollution we contribute to the porous, gestating hydrocommons involves surrendering to its agency, even if it means potentially losing work to the seaweed.