OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Neil Gallacher

I have always been drawn to the beach as an overlapping landscape between land and sea. The Eden Estuary in north east Fife is a perfect example of this unique space. It is a centre of many activities such as bird watching, walking, and horse riding. It also supports lots of wildlife, including birds such as the black-tailed godwit, grey plover, and red-breasted merganser. However, what makes it most fascinating for me is its landscape. The water rushing over loose, granular sand creates unique sights and sounds which I love to visit and witness again and again.

My photos explore themes of memory, transience, climate effects, and the passing of time on and within the landscape. They capture the transient area between the land and the sea where twice a day, the tide ebbs and flows, creating diverse patterns and shapes. In my eyes the landscape appears composed of opposites: the hidden and revealed, the visible and invisible, the seen and unseen, the wet and dry. The estuary is like a canvas that is constantly changing, its waters and winds crafting magical images on the newly exposed surfaces: simple geometric patterns and complex organic pattern formations. The patterns are repeated, altered, and formed in different areas of the estuary. I love how it never looks the same from one day to the next, particularly when I go at different times of day and year. Seeing the shadows fall over the flats as the sun sets over the horizon is a truly unique experience. My records of this animated landscape highlight its impermanence, stimulate the imagination, and I hope, urge people to help protect this valuable environment.

This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 13.