In The Symbiotic Planet, Lynn Margulis and James Lovelock ushered in a new paradigm for evolutionary thinking, emphasising collaboration and association over competition and individual struggle. Their collaboration extended to co-authoring the Gaia theory, which redefined our understanding of life's role in Earth's systems, proposing that "the sum of life optimised the environment for its own use".1
The project Seeing through Water seeks to challenge the modern perspective that asserts superiority over nature.2 The media strategy aims to test the camera's potential to decolonise Western humanity's conquering gaze on nature.3
The River Lea in the London Borough of Hackney serves as both the site and subject of inquiry, with water taking centre stage to investigate its role as a medium and its potential to generate diverse and plural visions. The project employs a compact underwater action camera, capturing audiovisual content both from below and above the water surface, experimenting with intentional and unintentional filming processes of Seeing through Water.
