In proximity

During my studies, my interest + fascination for the sea grew. For me, the ocean is still a sea → I am always in proximity to the coast. I have never been on a ship that distanced itself more than a day’s sail away from land.

L.J. Until now, I’ve spent my whole life near the sea or near water.

L.M.The ocean was always there. It was very present. It’s part of the world in which I grew up. I come from a fisherman’s family → so even though the ocean is more of a space of leisure for me, for my family it is more connected to labor.

Everything is falling – the moment of encounter with it is linked to the possibility of death. When I’m next to the ocean, I feel like I am just part of it. I don’t have to organize anything. I sense a hollow feeling in my stomach.

I think that this feeling of complete surrender towards the ocean is closely linked to a strong desire to belong. There is an issue with belonging in there. The desire to be part of it. What I’m trying to describe is maybe an intense feeling of being grounded that arises from one’s immediate proximity to the immensity of the ocean. It’s so massive you can’t ignore it.

I’m an ocean baby really, as I spent the first part of my life beside the sea in suburban Australia. Mansfield’s story At the Bay connects to lots of what I remember about living beside the sea as a child. I recommend you read it and pay special attention to the way that Mansfield uses various speech styles and manners (especially by children) to evoke the spell that the sea and nature has over the diverse characters in the story.

The experience of this place retouched on the magic that the ocean had for me when I was a child. To hear the sounds of the ocean was to be of an old and familiar habitat. Kangaroos slept right beside the house in Woodgate which was spitting or spluttering distance from the ocean. We slept to the sounds of the breaking waves.

Now, as an adult, I feel I’m just reconnecting with the sea and how it used to make me feel. There’s something unconditional to just being in the proximity of the sea.

T.v.A. I think there must have been around 20-30 birds around me. The birds are always there. I was just allowed to be close to them + they didn’t seem to bother. I went to Fair Isle two times. Now they’ve built a new bird observatory.

I love watching the tides. My relation to the sea is defined by proximity and observation. But its not about the sea surrounding me I’m just accepted in its proximity.