Battery Point from the water’s edge

The photographs of the Battery Point waterfront in this collection were taken from my kayak on the morning of 1 April 2020. They are random images of vistas, buildings and objects along and above the shoreline.

Taking to the river in a kayak enables one to see familiar places from different perspectives. While paddling along the water’s edge, I was struck by the juxtaposition of symmetry and asymmetry; order and disorder; the natural and built environment; the old and the new. The relics on the shore and under the water – remnants of wood, iron and tin as well as clusters of shells clinging to jetties and rocks – are like ‘found objects’ used by artists. Often curious, but beautiful and significant in their own way, reminding us of our history and the people who have inhabited this place.

The geographer Edward Relph’s words about the importance of place resonate at this difficult time: ‘A deep relationship with places is as necessary as a close relationship with people; without such relationships human existence is bereft of much of its significance.’