645 hands, 1350 fathoms 26deg 14' 37" S 111deg 13' 03" E

Abstract

This work was made during a residency at Geraldton in November 2011 (organized through Fremantle Arts Centre and the City of Geraldton-Greenough). 19 November 2011 marked the 70th anniversary of the sinking of HMAS Sydney II and HSK Kormoran in WW2. In 2007 wrecks of both vessels were located at the position and depth referred to in the title of this work. Also in 2007, my father, uncle and I were among several hundred family members who travelled to the site for a memorial service. (My paternal grandfather was one of the 645 crew lost.) This work, made up of images I photographed over the site of the sea grave in 2007 and later transferred to paper, uses the Geraldton sun in a slow and meditative process involving cyanotype chemicals, the west coast location and a pacing between sunshine and darkness. In focusing on the process and performance of print, the work seeks to engage with the ritual of grief and remembrance through the temporal and physical relationship among memory, making and place.