Tide

Tide is composed of 28 drawings made with Whitby jet powder deposited and fixed onto paper. The repeated gesture evokes cyclical rhythms of accumulation and withdrawal, like a tide generating surfaces with subtle variations in density, tone and sedimentation.

Here, the jet functions simultaneously as residue and record. The materials set the rhythm between accumulation and drift. The surface of the paper is a site of sedimentation, where geological material slowly accumulates into image. Although jet is commonly identified for its intense black, once ground into powder, it reveals a range of unexpected browns and sepias. These shifts in tone subtly displace the visual expectations associated with the material, allowing the drawings to emerge through processes of deposition rather than through conventional mark-making.

This work forms part of Dark Holding, a broader investigation into Whitby jet as a drawing material, exploring ways of working with a substance traditionally associated with carving and ornament rather than with drawing.

Tide, installation of 28 sheets, each 21 x 29 cm. Above: details