Through research into manmade interference such as chemical spills or invasive species, I will examine an expanded conception of photography – one which considers freshwater as a tool for image making. My work will focus on two primary sites – lakes and glaciers, where I will locate naturally occurring photographic adaptations to polluted water. Through this work I will uncouple photography from the camera to propose a geo-photographic landscape, in which the medium occurs beyond the lens. Water possesses the remarkable ability to absorb sunlight, reflecting a diluted percentage and redistributing it over the land’s surface. This refraction of natural light is undeniably photographic and prompts aquatic life to act as ‘sensors’ analogous to the ones found in a camera. When disrupted by pollutants, such as oil spills or algae blooms, these sensors record contact with external agents, revealing material reorganizations and thrusting us into dystopian landscapes. My aim is to capture these reorganizations as a form of image making, that creatively reveals links between photosynthesis (light), invasive species (pigment), and life span (time).

For the practice-forward component of MAKE/SENSE, I will examine the invasion of ice algae on the Italian Presena Glacier and the contamination of microplastics in Lake Geneva. By selecting two distinct aquatic locations, I will draw connections between invasive species and synthetic pollutants. My research will illustrate the extensive reach of climate change and advocate for the safeguarding of aquatic systems. It will also underscore their transmutation as perpetuated by photo-based mechanisms. This work will culminate in three components – a publication, a series of sculptural installations, and an online open-source mapping site.

My proposal is a logical extension of twenty years studying photography – the last four of which have been committed to researching biological photographs through my art practice. This work will build on what I have termed – the biopower of image-making – or the power of a photograph to ‘make’ live and ‘let’ die. By refocusing the relationship between photography and nature, expanding on object-oriented ontology and privileging ecology, I will illuminate the urgent need for conservation rather than domination.