Human adaptation for a life aquatic is a notion which constantly invites my fascination and serves as a source of inspiration. The intrigue that I feel for this concept stems from personal experience and emotion. I was born and raised in a maritime county, in the Pembrokeshire coast national park. From my earliest memories I can recall feelings of awe, respect, intrigue and infatuation with the ocean. As a child, it felt as if I spent more time submerged in these salty waters than I did on land.
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| Source: http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/now.htm |
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| Source: http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/now.htm |
Day after day was spent on the beach, playing in the ocean. Most days, a friend's father would come and collect us from the shore in his boat, after he had finished his days work taking tourists on tours around the island and take us out to the sound to swim in the deep waters with bottle nose dolphins and porpoise. As I grew older and my responsibilities grew, I never lost my draw to the ocean, heading down to the cliffs during free periods, swimming in the ocean after school, learning to surf or cycling out to St Justinian's point to watch the porpoise feed on the flurry of fish at the changing of the evening tide.
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| Add caption: Source: http://www.jackiemorris.co.uk/now.htm |
Growing up, I knew that I wanted to make the ocean my life. However, the magnetic draw I have nurtured is not just a personal connection, but also a universal phenomena. Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols has made the human ocean connection a fundamental part of his studies. Nichols has developed a concept, which he refers to as oceanophilia: the mind and ocean initiative. Through this initiative, Nichols will attempt to answer unanswered questions regarding the human mind and the depths of the ocean. Nichols states 'the greatest unexplored mysteries of the sea are not buried under a blanket of blue, but deep in the human mind... They only await discovery'.
President John F. Kennedy can be quoted ' "We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea - whether it is to sail or watch it - we are going back from whence we came" '. It was Kennedy's belief that we are so connected to the sea that human blood and seawater share a close chemical makeup. Although this claim proves to be scientifically inaccurate (although blood and sea water do share a similar elements, the elemental composition greatly differs. In fact the only similar ratio is that of the potassium content) I do not find it unreasonable that Kennedy, along with many others reached that assumption. The human body consists of up to 70% water. We can only survive between 48 to 72 days without water. 71% of our planets surface is covered by water. The ocean is vital to our survival, as not only does the ocean provide the main source of protein for one in six of the worlds population, but also makes our planet habitable. The ocean recycles our water and air, provides us with drinking water, absorbs carbon and regulates the climate.
If you in anyway can sympathize with this 'oceanophilia' then you will understand the notion of feeling as if you have salt water in your veins. After an introduction from the BBC series 'Human Planet', an awe-inspiring series dedicated to documenting the relationship between humankind and nature, I became interested in the Bajau people. The Bajau are a sea fearing nomadic people who have made the ocean their home and livelihood. Some of the younger Bajau children have yet to step foot on dry land, with many of the older Bajau experiencing a 'land sickness' on the rare occasions that they do make port in order to trade for rice and fuel (these two items being some of the only fundaments that the Bajau do not glean from the sea).
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| Source: amazingstuff.co.uk |
The coexistence of the Bajau with the ocean has developed to a level where physical adaptations have occurred, allowing the Bajau to see better, dive longer and deeper underwater. Some Bajau intentionally rupture their own eardrums in order to allow them to be more at home in the ocean.
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| Source: www.trekearth.com |
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| Source: estreladalvacabofrio.blogspot.com |
Although we do not all take such extreme steps towards a life aquatic, many of us allow the ocean to be a fundamental influence on our lives, providing a constant source of inspiration for creatives. One of the most memorable descriptions of the assault the ocean has on the senses I have read is from Patrick Susskind's novel 'Perfume, the Story of a Murder'. Susskind writes 'The smell of the sea pleased him so much that he wanted one day to take it in, pure and unadulterated, in such quantities that he could get drunk on it'.
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| Source: en.wikipedia.org |
Arguably the most recognizable of Japanese works of art, a piece which I find particularly inspiring is 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa', a woodblock print by artist Katsushika Hokusai. On viewing 'The Great Wave' one can immediately understand the reverence and respect that Hokusai felt towards the ocean. The composition forms yin yang between the ocean and the sky. The colossal breaking wave forms the yang, expressing dominance and power, countered by the serene sky, creating a sense of duality in the natural world. Hokusai successfully captures the fury of the ocean. Although the composition of 'The Great Wave' appears effortlessly brilliant, it was in fact a laboured work of thirty years, during which Hokusai struggled, creating images in which the wave appeared to be dense and formulaic, losing a sense of the natural clashing movement of great waves in the ocean. Hokusai also produced prints in which it seemed as if the wave would break over the viewer, which he seemed to find unsatisfactory, perhaps because it was not Hokusai's intention to instil a fear of the ocean, but a sense of awe and respect.
Hokusai's careful and considered composition, as a result of a long laboured process perfectly illustrates the importance of review and reflection in ones work. Whilst carrying out my own work, I shall attempt to maintain a similar level of consideration in order to create art which communicates my concept successfully. Hokusai's woodblock print 'The Great Wave' has become one of the most reproduced artworks in the world and has inspired many other artists and even the logo of the Quiksilver clothing company.
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| Source: www.kayraefaix.com |
Hokusai used the traditional Japenese woodblock technique in order to create his work. This technique involves drawing an image on to the paper and gluing that image to a wooden block. The wood would let me cut away as guided by the lines of the drawing, forming a relief. The inked woodblock would then be burnished against paper in order to apply ink, creating the printed image.Copies of this print, appealing to our universal draw to the sea can be found in museums around the world, including the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
I find 'The Great Wave' particularly inspirational as it corresponds with my own fascination towards a life aquatic and printing techniques, which I have an interest in developing further within my own work. I would like to develop the concept of human adaptation, physically, mentally and emotionally towards a life aquatic using printing techniques in order to create work, which communicates the passion I feel for this subject in a visual manner. I feel that print is a suitable medium, as it will allow me to showcase my drawing style whilst working on a variety of surfaces. I am excited to continue this study further into visual research, development and a visual solution.
