Several years ago on a day of small swell and clear blue skies a teenage boy drowned at Salmon Holes. He shouldn't have. He was fishing and he simply slipped quietly from the rock into the water. There was no king wave, no strong rip - he just drifted away and drowned.
That event affected me so profoundly that I went and stood on that rock. I threw bits of wood into the crystal blue to try and understand how the currents worked and how it could have happened. I visualised his trajectory and imagined his fear. It got me thinking about all the people who have drowned on this part of the coast. His death was the impetus for an ongoing personal enquiry into my own complex relationship with the sea.
Next month I will be conducting a symbolic 'sea burial' as part of the Paperatzi 2009 art event and exhibition. I will be casting a female torso in paper and floating it out to sea. This is obviously about myself but also intended to pay respect to those who have drowned, either accidentally or intentionally.
'Sea Burial' Event
