Beneath the Horizon

About this piece

Mike Gedj frames the sea beneath a weathered pier, whose repeating beams and supports converge toward the horizon. Softened surf and warm reflections on wet sand contrast with the structure’s weight, while foreground footprints introduce a fleeting human presence.

The story

I stood beneath the pier where its heavy beams gathered the view into a single opening toward the sea. Beyond the shade, a band of orange light touched the water and spread across the wet sand. I kept the footprints in the frame; they belonged to the shore as much as the pilings did, though they would not last nearly as long. Each wash of water softened the boundary between what stayed and what passed.