Shipstern Bluff (2024)

The outcomes of a week spent in an Artist’s Cottage on the Tasman Peninsula, in South-East Tasmania

"Shipsterns Bluff" is a photographic exploration that intimately connects human and non-human ecologies through a patient, contemplative practice that rejects the extractive tendencies of contemporary life. This work invites the natural environment to become an active collaborator in the creation process. The film was soaked in ocean water collected from the site for an entire week before development. Subsequently, it was processed using a coffee-based developer, with the same ocean water serving as the solvent.

Through this method, the site itself becomes part of the photographic process, chemically imprinting its presence onto the image. Rather than adhering to technical precision, Paul embraces the organic, unpredictable results that arise, fostering a profound collaboration with the materials and spaces she inhabits. The resulting photograph magically captures the day's light while bearing the ocean's unmistakable imprint, creating a captivating synthesis of human intention and natural agency.