Much of my work is of and around the sea. I have focused recently on single object images as part of my exploration of sea pollution, find beauty and impact in discarded or end-of-life objects.
“The Skeletons of Waste Series 2021” is an artistic response to global pollution of the planet’s waters. I’ve decided that the cuttlefish image is a key part of this series. I feel that this is the first series in this body of work which will go on to be a bigger creative mission. The threads of my wider interests are starting to make strong reef knots; the points of intersection becoming clearer to me.
The title of this series was triggered by the skeleton on the crushed can.
Series 1 will be twenty-four strong, connected by their found location of Chichester Harbour. It feels and is local to me, but sits as a vital Wetland habitat for nursery fish and overwintering bird populations. This reach is European and African. These images demonstrate some of the issues of marine pollution we face. Human waste from recreation, in the form of a crushed can dumped from a car parked on the estuary. The frayed edge of a whipped nylon fishing line, picked up on the strand line of a local harbour beach called East Head. Fish nets and lines are nylon, and struggle to decompose. Ghost nets tangle sea life.
The cuttlefish is the inner skeleton of the squid, a marine species found globally. The cuttlefish bone is extremely fragile, layers of aragonite that grow as the squid grows. In its topographical layers of this calcium carbonate that create such a fascinating image when photographed.
Squid are prey species and bioaccumulate various pollutants, contaminating the sea-food web through polluted waters and polluted diet. The cuttlefish is part of the ecological community. In this body of work, are representative not of waste but of the real, physical, inhabitants of the waters. The cuttlebone is a skeleton of sorts, in this context, finding its place as a reminder.
I couldn’t believe the combination of the rubber glove and a faded Coke can I found on one walk. It was a surreal joke, the inside-out rubber glove with bits of algae collecting on its flaccid fingers. I picked it up gingerly. It felt alive. The Coke can presented itself in an obvious, globally commercial, obvious kind of way, there for the taking. Not a rehearsal.
These images connect the environmental threat to flora and fauna posed by how we interact with our global ecological community. There are more images to come. I’m looking for opportunities to exhibit this series - feel free to contact me if you may be able to help.
The images are currently available to buy:
£195
12x8 and 10x10 depending on the image
Giclee printed on Hahnemulhe Archive quality paper.
Unmounted, print number and initials on the photography border.
These are limited editions of 50 at this size.