Humpback whale migrating south, 2024, pigment inkjet print on archival cotton rag. 35mm photograph processed with ocean water collected from site on Walbunja Country (Yuin Nation).
The artworks in Worlds Around Us are recent interactions between the artist and the more-than-human worlds she encounters. Following the humpback whale cycle of migration along the east coast of Australia, the works explore interspecies dialogue, material presence and how a practice of curiosity cultivates empathy and care.
For this exhibition Sammy co-created 35mm film photographs of the humpback whale migration with ocean water collected from site. She also worked with designer Sam Tomkins to develop an analogue cymatic instrument. Cymatics (from Ancient Greek: κῦμα for 'wave') is the study of making sound and vibration visible.
For this exhibition the cymatic instrument is responding to hydrophone recordings of humpback whale songs, projecting the shape of these songs as they vibrate through water on a plate. Sammy has documented these shapes to create a series of cymatic figures.
https://gallery.tweed.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/worlds-around-us-sammy-hawker