2019 - present

'What I Saw in the Water' speaks to the vulnerability and sorrow steeped deep in the muddied waters of the Gulf Coast. Using photographs in conjunction with image transfer, I offer viewers a chance to immerse themselves in a story of suffering, loss, determination, triumph, and repetition. While the story is rooted in my experiences, universal themes resonate throughout: environmental destruction, ruminations on place and its effects on identity, cultural history, and the importance of remembering. The photos that make up this body of work were taken along the Bayou Teche in south-central Louisiana. They contain landscapes, swamp-scapes, archival imagery, and pictures of loved ones that blur the past, present, and future. Through the process of image transfer, the photographic surface is exploited as though it were wet paint. The resulting grotesque-like texture becomes symbolic of the destruction caused by heavy rainfall and flooding waters, reflecting how the local communities remain at risk as much as the environment. Grief is an important word to remember when thinking of the Gulf Coast, and the suffrage, both past, and present is etched into the culture. While catastrophic events come and go, the damage remains on the seafloor, waiting to resurface.

Seth Adam Cook

Seth Adam Cook