‘Why the Ocean Sparkles’ is a visual mediation on reciprocity, kinship, and practical reverence, an invitation to see the world with wonder so that we may care for it. This project explores how awe dissolves the illusion of separation, revealing our entanglement with the land and water that sustains us. Grounded in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s concept of practical reverence, my work examines the subtly profound gestures of stewardship.
The ocean sparkles because it is alive, a reflection of balance, a conversation between light and water. When we tend to the earth, it offers something in return – stillness, belonging and breath. Awe softens and humbles us, expands the edges of our being until we are no longer just observers but participants in vast reciprocity.
