‘Emerging #6516 was photographed at 7:00am on 12 November 2024 at Merewether Ocean Baths. An extended exposure removes the visible presence of swimmers moving through the pool, leaving a quieter space for memory and imagination. For me, Merewether is particularly significant: it was here in the early 1980s, after discovering the work and writings of Ansel Adams and acquiring a second-hand 5×7 Cambo view camera, that I began to understand that a photograph could become something more than a record—it could become an artwork.’
I loved photographing the ocean, so taking this now prized possession to my hometown's iconic Ocean Baths was a natural fit. Back then, the pools had aged and needed refurbishment. Slowly, Newcastle Council replaced the old rusty railing with lots of shiny, new stainless steel.
Weathered by storms and the sun, the tall wooden light poles became modern towers, and a wide, sloping ramp created universal access for people of all ages and abilities. Despite these inevitable changes, brisk early mornings, warm, soft dusks, bright, hot afternoons, and cold, weather-beaten nights still cycle with the seasons.
As worn, whitewashed steps are refurbished, they continue to carry unshod feet as they skip and later shuffle, growing from tiny and soft to gnarled and wide. Holding small, excited hands, parents nurture the tentative steps of offspring at the beginning of their memories.
This Limited Edition is available in two sizes, with a maximum of five prints plus up to two Artist Proofs.
Artist: Paul Foley
Collection: Ocean Pools
Artwork: Emerging #6516 — Merewether Ocean Baths
Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Medium: Fine art photography
Process: Digital Medium Format extended exposure
Edition: 5
Print: Archival fine art pigment print on cotton rag paper
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity
‘Emerging #6516 was photographed at 7:00am on 12 November 2024 at Merewether Ocean Baths. An extended exposure removes the visible presence of swimmers moving through the pool, leaving a quieter space for memory and imagination. For me, Merewether is particularly significant: it was here in the early 1980s, after discovering the work and writings of Ansel Adams and acquiring a second-hand 5×7 Cambo view camera, that I began to understand that a photograph could become something more than a record—it could become an artwork.’
I loved photographing the ocean, so taking this now prized possession to my hometown's iconic Ocean Baths was a natural fit. Back then, the pools had aged and needed refurbishment. Slowly, Newcastle Council replaced the old rusty railing with lots of shiny, new stainless steel.
Weathered by storms and the sun, the tall wooden light poles became modern towers, and a wide, sloping ramp created universal access for people of all ages and abilities. Despite these inevitable changes, brisk early mornings, warm, soft dusks, bright, hot afternoons, and cold, weather-beaten nights still cycle with the seasons.
As worn, whitewashed steps are refurbished, they continue to carry unshod feet as they skip and later shuffle, growing from tiny and soft to gnarled and wide. Holding small, excited hands, parents nurture the tentative steps of offspring at the beginning of their memories.
This Limited Edition is available in two sizes, with a maximum of five prints plus up to two Artist Proofs.
Artist: Paul Foley
Collection: Ocean Pools
Artwork: Emerging #6516 — Merewether Ocean Baths
Location: Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Medium: Fine art photography
Process: Digital Medium Format extended exposure
Edition: 5
Print: Archival fine art pigment print on cotton rag paper
Certificate: Signed Certificate of Authenticity
