Salt and Seaweed

Abstract

Tides roll in, onto the shore, bringing with them pieces from the deep. As they roll out again, the shore is scattered with traces of what’s underneath. These curvy lines of absent waves hold evidence of conditions beneath the surface. The ocean is full of information, and it keeps repairing and cleaning and giving back. It has often been a partner in the documentation of history and change. Salt water has been used for almost 100 years in photographic processes. During World War II, seafaring photographers washed their film with sea water, saving the freshwater for drinking. The ocean has long participated in recording images that mark time. In my practice as a filmmaker I am shifting the lens on how one can approach documentation. During the pandemic when I couldn’t get into the darkroom, I went to the shore to film the waves rolling in, both as solace and to be creatively autonomous. I am now immersed in a practice of eco-processing 16mm moving images, developing the film with seaweed and ocean water: collaborating with the sea. I gather ingredients from the place within the camera frame. The seaweed is used as developer and the salt water is the water source for all steps and the final fixative. The results are oceanic self-portraits. The matter within the frame is the same matter that develops the film. The ocean makes its own movie. I explore how organic matter works within these collaborations to challenge traditional hierarchies in filmmaking. I visit and film shorelines near home and across the continent. I note the differences in colour, texture, and tone that are a result of the combined properties of water and seaweed at each location. I’m tracking levels of shoreline toxicity to see if there is a relationship between its condition and the image it gives. In this practice, I’m wondering if the ocean is expressing its health.