Coast Dwellers is a 5-year photographic series documenting how we experience the sensation of weightlessness whilst underwater. The ocean like space is a deep, complex and subtle realm. In both, we feel tiny and powerless and yet eternal and tranquil. The sea’s energy is straightforwardly dangerous and we are never really in charge, yet we dismiss all of the risks for the euphoria of abandoning gravity momentarily to transcend into weightlessness for a rare fleeting moment.
We are linked to the ocean physically, cognitively, and emotionally. Water delights us and inspires us, consoles us and intimidates us. It creates feelings of awe, peace, and joy.
The ocean like space is a deep, complex and subtle realm. In both, we feel tiny and powerless and yet eternal and tranquil. The sea’s energy is straightforwardly dangerous and we are never really in charge, yet we dismiss all of the risks for the euphoria of abandoning gravity momentarily to transcend into weightlessness for a rare fleeting moment.
Humans by design, have deep emotional and biological ties to being in the presence of the ocean. We spend the first nine months of lives immersed in the watery environment of our mother’s womb and when we are born, our bodies are approximately 78 per cent water.
When we physically enter the water, we give up gravity and our field of view and auditory sense is simplified. We become immersed in a contemplative and self-referential perspective which is akin to a mildly meditative state and gives us a chance to escape the hyper-connected, over-stimulated state of modern day life, in favour of a rare moment of solitude.
A stage for our curious performances with the ocean as our theatre.