Underwater
Anna Peach uses industrial marine cameras to investigate the waters of the world. The Grand Banks off Newfoundland, the riptides of the central Pacific and the haunting cenotes of South Mexico are all within her exploration. In 2007 she developed a new working method that allowed her to cast the camera into the ocean so that the sea could film itself.
"Many of my videos are intimate depictions of life cycles within naturally occurring phenomena. I explore plankton and jellyfish blooms, marine snow, tidal movement and the vertical migration of deep-sea life from within the midst of activity. These subjects are selected in part due to their belonging to the fringe of the recognized natural world, while still being accessible for documentation in the field. The science documentary approach is countered by my use of ever shifting conditions. I destabilize the core structure of a documentary by relinquishing control of the camera itself. This allows for lyrical films that are created in complete flux. My style creates moments that are in-between what is recognizable. This inability to categorize what is being seen allows viewers to go beyond what is and on to what may be. My films are made in cycles that allow us to witness patterns within my chance operations. Repetition creates the intimacy of familiarity, while simultaneously illuminating that in the fluid environment, place never remains the same. The result of my process is short, meditative video that use science as a method and art as form.” -Anna Peach
