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Faethm - The love of the sea heredity or nostalgia

Adrian Scarbrough

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Adrian has a research-led photojournalism and documentary practice in Vienna, with a mix of Corporate IT, Web and SaaS development. For the last 25 years, his passion for technology and photography has interacted with a curiosity for futurism, ethics, sustainability, and deep empathy for our climate.

Adrian project-managed information systems and communication teams within the Corporate IT environment, including project portfolio management, product customisation, digital engagement, data collaboration applications, and a technical analyst researching and monitoring digital and archival content using metadata best practices on projects within information systems.

A British veteran with 22 years of service, areas of specialisation included but were not restricted to humanitarian, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance. Adrian has photographed and documented several conflicts and worked closely with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

Adrian is a voluntary photographer and head of media and communications for the charities Hats Off for Bootsie, The Pearly Kings and Queens, 10 Million Meters, and Monkey Fist Adventures.

He has joined a new publishing company for artists as a publishing agent.

Adrian has a research-led photojournalism and documentary practice in Vienna, with a mix of Corpo...

Faethm - Is the love of the sea heredity or nostalgia There is this romantic notion that English mariners used to measure the sea with their outstretched arms; this was a nautical unit of depth called a faethm. It is one of the longest units derived from an anatomical measurement; today, it is referred to as a fathom. Fathom is also to discover the meaning of something and understand something thoroughly; the figurative sense of “get to the bottom of something” is a play on the words faethm and fathom, and so to find out is the “love of the sea heredity or nostalgia”.

This fascination and awe are a deep connection many people have with these vast bodies of water; they can be passed down from generation to generation, creating a family tradition and shared experience that can be cherished for a lifetime.

I am exploring if elements of heredity, such as traits and habits, are passed down to me or if it is, in fact, nostalgia that plays on emotion and longing for a past time or experience -- the “why” element to this allows me to discover my personal connection. Having come to realise I have been biased towards visual thinking and what makes me creative from a neuroscience point of view, I have also found conflict within my research in my understanding of heredity and nostalgia. 

Final work

  • Leaving Home, Old photographs my father took crossing the Atlantic. Rothko influenced images of an empty Quayside when I left home.
  • Old photographs crossing the Atlantic, Empty Quayside symbolic of me leaving home
  • Old photographs my father took whilst crossing the Atlantic, Leaving home, Rothko influenced images of empty
  • Black and White images of the sea surging towards high tide
  • Black and White photographs of the sea surging towards high tide
  • Black and White images of the sea surging towards high tide
  • Photographs of items from my childhood memories
  • Photographs of items from my childhood memories
  • Photographs of items from my childhood memories.
  • Photographs of symbolic emotions in coming home.
  • Photographs of symbolic emotions of me coming home
  • Photographs of symbolic emotions of me returning home.

Research and process

Simplicity and the sea

The psychology of simplicity is concerned with how people perceive, process, and respond to simple and complex stimulation. We are naturally attracted to simplicity because it requires less cognitive effort to process, understand, and remember, which makes it more appealing. I am engaging several of these laws as inspiration, such as simplicity and complexity, which need each other, and that more appears like less by moving it further away.

Many artists influenced me, so I needed to draw from those who have embraced, in my view, the aspects of the laws of simplicity. They are known for their ability to evoke robust, creative, emotional responses through their colour, large format and composition. Artists include Mark Rothko, Hiroshi Sugimoto's Seascapes & Optics, Nadav Kander's Dark Line, Thames Estuary, Wolfgang Uhlig's Sea & By the Sea.

Has the Sea Made Me Wiser

Have I learnt anything on this personal journey? If so, am I any the wiser? Perhaps.

I do know that everybody has traits and habits that form their everyday life that can also lead to feeling a sense of awe, such as a favourite song that stirs up past emotions or feeling very small when confronted by huge vistas, the ones that make your hair stand up on the back of your neck or bring tears to your eyes. And that the people we love remain with us even in more mysterious ways after they leave.

Throughout this project, I have been thinking a lot about my parents and their life's journey and reflecting on mine. I still have a relationship with them; it's just changed. I cannot talk to them or ask them anything or get a response; the connection is there, it's just a different one.

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Faethm - The love of the sea heredity or nostalgia

Faethm - Is the love of the sea heredity or nostalgia There is this romantic notion that English mariners used to measure the sea with their outstretched arms; this was a nautical unit of depth called a faethm. It is one of the longest units der...

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