Vestiges, 2025

Does a photograph depict the event itself or does it merely illustrate and interpret an event, a place, a shadow of time? This question has always been at the centre of my practice, and is both a source of frustration and quiet contemplation. There is a long tradition within photography in photographing objects, places and surfaces in various states of decay, the aesthetic quality of which cannot be quantified into a simplistic answer. Western painting has brought the aesthetics of decay and destruction into the mainstream consciousness, which we observe from a distanced perspective, safe from its perceived threat; whilst causing us to contemplate our own mortality. Photography and its role in memory raises important questions about photographies ability (or lack thereof) to accurately portray our memories; such as when we look at old family photographs. Photography functions with a peculiar duality in that it enhances imagination in one context and constraints it another. This chronological series was made along the shoreline of Jersey, my home island, depicting the decaying surfaces of a historic sea wall built by the occupying German forces in WW2. There are traces, marks and signs that permeate the textured surfaces of these now ancient monuments, which represent the cultural memory of the islands distant past. Since the 1960-1970s Jersey has cultivated, over a period of decades, a public image of a tourist haven of adventure, history and entertainment. However, over the last 10 years this polished image has begun to fade as the island has experienced an onslaught of economic downturns, public tragedies, political upheaval and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. This perfect storm has led many to leave the island (an estimated 10,000 according to recent statistics) which has compounded the aforementioned issues the island grapples with. I myself have always had mixed feelings about being born in Jersey, a place which whilst undeniably beautiful, has always been too small and isolating for me. This series is particularly cynical view of what I see happening to my home, and is symbolic of the slow and gradual decay of our history, our community and our way of life, as we look toward an uncertain future.