In this evolving experimental project, Mangrove Kin explores the relational significance of mangrove habitat and the diversity of life it supports. Planned as an iterative 9 part body of work, this first work brings together 3D scanning, with video and poetic verse brought to life by SUNO AI.

Many readers familar with my work would know I tend to work with one theme or idea for a long time. Mangrove Kin grows out of my ongoing work with water which was sparked in 2013 with Words 4 Water – a project which still informs my creative, curatorial and research inquiries.

Pir’ri: your roots are my oxygen

In the Kabi Kabi language pir’ri is the word for finger as well as the word for mangroves because of the fingerlike vertical roots.

This is the first of a series of experimental video works building on my creative research into understanding mangrove and estuarine habitats of Pumicestone Passage, my closest water body.

“The project focuses on experimentation and process. This first work incorporates a range of elements including my original lyrics (poem) rendered into a song by SUNO AI. There is also imagery from a 3d scans taken with my mobile phone incorporated into the video.” (Vimeo)

Acknowledgements: Thank you for the support and guidance on this project to our Joondoburri Traditional Owners especially Aunty Leisha Krause, Phill Krause and Kim Tilley. Your time, knowledge and generous sharing is deeply appreciated. Also big thank you to Makareta KL for your inspiration in helping to find voice for these words through experimenting with AI. Thank you as well to Pier Luigi Capucci for presenting this work at the 2025 in Cervia as part of the Water Dialogues* project. And as always thank you to my partner Martin Drury for patiently hanging out with me in the pungent liminal zones of these ecosystems. ❤

*“Dialogues across the Seas” is an open project that involves participants from various parts of the world. Born in Cervia in 2018, it has been presented nationally and internationally and has produced some publications in English and Italian that have contributed to the international discussion, anticipating the “Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030,” an initiative supported by the United Nations. “Dialogues across the Seas”, presented by Pier Luigi Capucci, Museo del Sale, Cervia-Milano Marittima, Italia, 24.06.2025, 9-11p.m.

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