Thank you to everyone who attended my Open Studio as part of the Ryedale Open Studios in August. It was such a pleasure to meet so many people interested in my work and such a fantastic welcome to Malton and the creative community both locally here in Malton itself, in the wider Ryedale area and even as far as York.

Not only did the Open Studios offer an opportunity to meet local people, but it was a great opportunity to showcase my latest work in progress on my project The Strandline – much of which was shot in North Yorkshire.

A personal exploration of my sense of self and emotional connection with the sea, The Strandline examines the mark left by the sea on the human condition and personal identity.

Questioning perceptions, memories, associations and experiences of the sea, The Strandline explores the thresholds and liminal states of littoral space along and between land and water, sea and sky, memory and experience. Drawing on the cultural, nostalgic and experiential connections with the sea and how these impact on our sensory and cognitive responses, the project examines how memories shift and fade, transfer and – sometimes falsely – embed associations in our psyche. 

Incorporating aspects of self-portraiture; ‘portraiture’ of the sea; and conceptual, abstract and immersive imagery, the project adopts a multi-media approach and introspective reflection encompassing soundscapes, video and still imagery using a variety of techniques from analogue formats to digital to cameraless techniques.

The installation included a number of the emulsion lifts I have been working on as part of my exploration of memories as well as prints from my series exploring the transition from land to sea and two installation videos. As part of the open studios I also demonstrated binding a book of cyanotype images made from items collected along the strandline, bound in driftwood.

You can view the videos from the installation here: