What propels us to dive? In its most basic form, we dive to observe. To become spectators in a world transcending space and gravity, surrounded by weird and wonderful creatures only imagined in books.
From the moment I laid eyes on these animals, I was gripped by a wave of nostalgia. Patterns and colours brought me back to my childhood, to a place and time where I enjoyed the dreamtime tales of Australia’s first nations people.
Indigenous Australians’ intimate connection with nature has been cemented over thousands of years, reinforcing stable environmental practice that has been built on a foundation of respect for the land. Such practices have been passed down through generations, and celebrated through different creative narratives of art and storytelling.
Colonisation of Australia threw the entire spiritual system into chaos, and saw the rapid decline of our oceans through conducts of overfishing, resource extraction, overpopulation and coastal development, and in most recent times, the pandemic of micro plastics.
This toxic time bomb has revealed alarming implications, which have forced humanity to seek an urgent solution on the back of our own anthropocentrism. In other words; we need to protect our oceans, as WE are suffering.
As an underwater photographer, I witness the struggle of Australian marine life every day. And although I am peering through a lens of human impact, I strive to abstain from reprimanding my viewers.
I don’t want to show our marine life in a state of constant struggle, but rather construct a narrative that will harness a synergy between man and ocean once again. I want to open a visual dialogue that will draw my viewers into the depths of our oceans, and create an opportunity for them to stare into the eye of these creatures, create connection, and if need be, anthropomorphise their behaviour in order to solidify commonality.
Above all, I want my viewers to fall in love with our oceans and their inhabitants. We as human beings will always strive to protect what we love, and will build our actions and decisions around the sustainability of our chosen treasures.
I wish to campaign with zest and enthusiasm, and show the world what we should be defending with outrageous valour. As the page turns and the story evolves, different species alternate their placement at the top of the threatened species podium, many of which reside along our Australian coastal shores. Humpback Whales, Leafy Seadragons, White Seahorses … these are but a few victimised species that have faced near extinction, and succeeded in their recovery through significant determination, and scientific conservation.
In as little as 50 years, we have obliterated 68% of individual wild animals on Earth. With this in mind, I invite you to take a moment, and stare into the eyes of Australia’s remarkable ocean creatures. Recognise their fragility and feel their struggles. Admire their strengths and celebrate their triumphs.
As an underwater photographer, I aim to stage an artistic intervention, and strive to capture a feeling, as a means to reinstate our kinship with the natural world.
This is my mission blue.
