Message from the Bridge looks at the strange in-between world of cruise ship life. The work was made while sailing from Singapore to Barcelona, across the Indian Ocean, around the Cape of Good Hope, and up the west coast of Africa.
I’m interested in the cruise ship as a kind of non-place, a space that exists outside of real life. It is a floating hotel, a sealed system, a theatre of leisure. Days blur. Time bends. The world passes by but rarely touches the ship.
The images explore what John Urry called the tourist gaze. Passengers look, are looked at, and drift through curated experiences with little contact beyond the railings.
The photographs are quiet, deadpan, sometimes absurd. They invite the viewer to stop and look at what’s usually overlooked. This isn’t about escape, it’s about what we bring with us. The ship becomes a mirror, reflecting our longing for meaning, comfort, and something to do between meals.