Work In Progress: Between Man and Sea
I never had the freedom of space found at the coastline. I have lived for most of my life in the large industrial city of Birmingham, in the centre of England. The idea of the sea always felt wondrous but foreign. In a towering and claustrophobic inner city environment, the sea can seem like another world.
Daily routine within the city can give us the impression that life beyond the boundaries of the urban environment is unreachable. Due to this routine, we can become detached from ourselves, and unfamiliar with the natural world that lies outside of civilization. The coastline is a place that offers us the exposed edge of a country and by turning away from land the wide-open vision of existence becomes more apparent than what we ordinarily experience.
People are drawn to the coast for leisure and to enjoy nature, but also to be reminded of the elemental power that becomes discernible. It is the threshold of where all life originally began and where the cyclical and impermanent system of life becomes more lucid. At the edge of land, we can consider our own psychological and emotional connection with the world and question the rudimentary source of our existence. When by the coast, it becomes more evident that we fit into the complex system of nature. This is perhaps why it is such an alluring location.
In our desire to move closer to the sea and benefit from its spiritual and economical benefits, we create obstructions by privatizing land and building coastal railings, viewing platforms and seafront promenades. They aid to keep the natural and chaotic force of the sea under control, and allow us to enjoy the coast in seclusion and safety. However they also serve to keep the redemptive vision and atmosphere of the sea hidden away, obscured from our view.
I am photographing the area between the built up urban expanse and the sea's edge in an attempt to metaphorically capture the way modern civilization blocks out nature and the redeeming qualities of the sea. The photographic project also portrays my own personal walking journey along the coast as a way of helping me to express and come to terms with my own feelings of aloneness and separation.
In a world that is becoming further divided from nature "Between Man and Sea" is a project about reaching out to the consolation of nature, beyond the realm of the alienating modern metropolis.
The following photographs are taken from the work in progress series "Between Man and Sea". All images were shot between 2009 and 2011. I have also begun photographing on the other side of the Channel in France. These images will be available for viewing later this year.