Abstract

From the earliest dawning of the human race, communities and groups have turned to the sea. The earliest evidence of hominids arriving on the shores of the British archipelago shows groups clearly dependent on its extensive coastline and surrounding body of water. They lived, hunted, bred and died in these changing landscapes and incredibly, we can see the evidence of that to this day. The enduring relationship that humans have with the sea is a mysterious and common facet that binds our global community together, it offers an unspoken language to which we can all relate and a visceral experience that few can articulate. As Melville wrote:

There is, one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath.

It is perhaps our perception of the sea as a living thing that draws us to it, and it is perhaps this attraction that should stir us to action. The oceans are the last true wildernesses of this planet and these photos demonstrate the liminal perspective of the interacting spaces between sea and land, of human and the wild. If the pandemic can offer any benefits, they are perhaps to be found in the wider interactions and availability of opportunities for learning. This exhibition in so many ways acts as a catalytic space where beauty, language, experience, knowledge and learning interact to form a sum much greater and more powerful than that of their individual parts. This work is critically important in delivering a message that needs to be heard through the collective experience of its contributors. The power of being connected to water cannot be overlooked as a fundamental part of the human condition and the sea has quite literally shaped the way society has developed in many parts of the world. While oceans have an unfathomable ability to heal and recover, they may well do so despite humans and tragically, without us. Over the last twelve months (and indeed for the entirety of human history) the sea has offered hope, comfort and solace for many. This exhibition stands as a marker in time and an opportunity for collective learning which celebrates our relationship with the world we inhabit.

March 2021