A small wave curls around a turquoise and pearly white spiral shell on wet sand, with sunlight sparkling across the water.

The Tide Holds

MG-0297

2024-03-19

About this piece

Mike Gedj captures a sheet of water rising around a spiral shell, its turquoise ridges alternating with luminous, pearly bands. Sharp bubbles and textured sand give way to softly blurred reflections, setting the shell’s solid form against the brief architecture of a wave.

The story

I watched the water gather around the shell, lifting a transparent edge above its turquoise spiral. For a moment, the sand beneath it remained visible while everything around it caught the light. I wanted to hold that small interval: the shell still grounded, the wave already changing shape. Through the lens, the distant reflections softened into circles, and this little meeting of water, colour, and sand filled the frame.

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