Slack water, is a brief period of time where tidal water is completely unstressed. There is no movement in either direction. This occurs before the tidal stream reverses. The combined effects of gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth, cause the gradual rise and fall of sea levels. These changes are known as tides. Waves, are a separate phenomena, caused by wind, tsunamis, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.
Mandala is the Sanskrit word for ‘circle’ or ‘completion’. Living organisms are made up of cells. Each cell contains a nucleus: the center of all outward circles and growth. From each atom, a mandala is formed. There are whole circles within almost every aspect of nature; centers of flowers, tree rings, fingertips. Inside the Milky Way Galaxy is our solar system, which inside our solar system is Earth. All circles, all life, add up to a greater whole. Mandalas are used across religions and cultures as an aid of deepening levels of self awareness and a connection to a divine higher consciousness. Psychologist Carl Jung brought the concept of mandalas to western culture. He believed during periods of intense self growth, people have a natural tendency to want to create mandalas.
I created a body of work through comparing these two seemingly unrelated concepts. Each 35mm photograph taken during slack tide is paired with a mandala based off the emotions and colors in the given photograph. By using emotion, line and color, I tried to balance two opposing forces. The process and therapy behind creating a mandala, is letting the mind flow free, and bring the unconscious forward. Creating mandalas as a form of meditation, feels much like the stillness of slack water. It is a harmonious float, a stillness from within, brought on by one's own natural rhythms, free from outside control.
I created this project as a means to deepen my own knowledge of self. It was also to challenge myself to create black and white line drawings that relate to a photograph only through color and emotion. The end result is, a calming comparison, for the viewer to unravel through their own perspective. Each human has their own world, and each mind is their own universe. By creating images of the natural world and my “own” world, I hope to open conversations of further self analysis through the world around us. By diving into other people's emotional states, we are reminded that “self” implies other. In this case, metaphorically we all become the natural forces that creates waves in each others world. Simply put, by understanding ourselves on a richer level, we have the ability to raise all of those around us. Collectively we grow.