I am interested in things scarred by years of use and the stories behind the scars. My photographs are of manmade structures that are breaking down from exposure to environmental forces. My current work is a documentation of a groyne that was built in the early 1900s to control beach erosion. The groyne extends into Lake Ontario from Toronto Island, a 10-minute ferry ride from the city.
You can see the effects that seasons of water and ice and other influences have had on the structure. Its worn surface is cracked and exfoliated, the metal that surrounds the body is twisted and broken in places. Two bushes continue to grow in the middle of the breakwater, their roots playing a role in its disintegration.
Its appearance changes continuously with light and weather conditions. I don’t know if the breakwater is currently useful given the changes in the lake level and the ongoing permanent loss of shoreline. But as an object, it has a vibrancy and a presence in the space it inhabits that extends beyond its original purpose. It’s that quality that I want to convey in this work.
