The Intertidal Project
The Intertidal Project explores innovative ways to depict the passage of time through my long-term, photo-based work, which examines how memory is formed when a person is affected by a cherished place. Each encounter etches a line of memory in time on both the person and location, like geological strata.
Standing above the Pacific Ocean, I asked, “How can I capture the magnitude of tidal change in a single place?” This question led me to explore new photographic landscapes. The answer came in noticing the subtle difference between perception and awareness. Years of photographs slowly exposed the depth of reciprocal strata between us while I progressively mapped the interaction between my presence and the coastline.
This daily practice was shaped by the tides, sunrise and sunset, and the scarcity of time. In documenting place, I am also documenting memory—and time itself. Over eight years of unremitting visits to the same locations, I photographed the 11-mile stretch of California coastline known as Sea Ranch. Through meticulous observation, I developed a complex body of work exploring the themes of Memory, Imprint, Mapping, and Strata.
A cherished childhood book “The Art of Japanese Woodblock Printing” inspired my vision to unmask the rocks beneath the water using time instead of panels of color to recreate the landscape. Through 40 visits to Wild Moor Point over the next four years of impassioned work, one resulting “Tidal Block” picture became the fulcrum of the Project. Fascinated with the accumulation of time I crafted the picture to relay the depth of our experience together and unveiled a singular day that could never exist revealing all the tidal levels.
Since 2023, colossal winter storms have reshaped the Northern California coastline. A narrow cliff edge where I once stood now lies in jumbled rocks a hundred feet below. Losing this vantage point has erased critical data collected over six years and brought a profound sense of loss. My archive of time, memory, and place now confronts extreme weather, raising a new question: “How do I show what used to be here?”
The Sea Ranch coastline has been profoundly impacted by climate change, shifting the project from inward reflection to engagement with external forces. My latest Intertidal Project work, LOSING GROUND, confronts the relentless advance of environmental loss. Sharing my project can foster recognition of the space between perception and awareness —a crucial first step in addressing climate change through collective empathy.
