The Power of Water as an Element

'The Power of Water as an Element' is an AS Art and Design Contextual Studies project based on the dynamic force of water and waves breaking in the surface of the sea. It is incorporated in a video edit of sea records documented in Limassol, Cyprus. It is mainly influenced by Len Tabner, whose work is enlightened by the presence of the sea in the most years of his life, similar to myself. Tabner's shows his direct experience with the sea and greatly depicts violent weather conditions affecting the surface of the sea and the serenity of waves. I was interested by his painting techniques and energetic representation and thus aimed for scenes of waves breaking on rocks or more energetic waves to relate to his influence and praise the power of the ocean and generally water as an essential element. Research foundation on the work is based on vairous approaches of water as a sacred, divine element, a source of punishment or fertility and from different eras and cultures such as in Japanese Art. The work also looks at the destructions water and the sea can impose and in contrast, how essential they are for the preservation of life.  The project's final purpose is to document the force of water at shore and unite it in a video of different shots of waves breaking and the sound of retreating rocks below the water. The video as such, aims to depict water not as a divine source of punishment, not an element to be feared or a potential source of mass destruction, but as a beautiful element, essential to earth, to life, to fertility and to nature.