Life in Madeira is tied to the sea. Everything we do affects the ocean and the ocean affects us. We love living on this island and the last few months have demonstrated a fact we normally discount, which is a feeling of loneliness and disconnectedness. On the one hand, we are happy about that and we feel lucky to feel safe. On the other hand, there is a sense of wariness and staleness in our lives.
An island in the ocean is a wonderful place to live as long as you are knowingly connected to the Mainland. During the COVID-19 virus lock down we all had a lot of time to think about this disconnection, both to the land and water, but also within ourselves.
The theme, loosely based on the word ‘pool’, congers up the idea of a place where water gathers. From baths to swimming pools to rock pools to the ultimate: the ocean itself. All these bodies of water evoke in us a feeling, whether it is a sense of calm, an excitement to jump in, the wonderment of the aquatic world to a sense of fear. This says as much about water as it does about the person entering it. The artist captures these moments in time then it is the viewer who brings their emotions to the image to ‘complete’ the work.
