Scarlett Old

Undertow is a photographic series exploring the ancient and intimate connection between femininity and the ocean. Through tactile, moody, and raw visuals, my project positions the sea as not just a backdrop but as a collaborator, a sanctuary, a mirror, and a maternal figure. The images blend body and landscape, with hair tangled in seaweed, a body curled within rockpools reminiscent of the womb. Close up details of hands in the water, wet hair, and shells create a sense of cycles, vulnerability and transformation. Connecting to the oceans symbolic relationship with the moon and womanhood, this work invites viewers into a submerged, sacred space where identity, nature and emotion bleed together. In a liminal space between land and sea, Undertow becomes an ode to womanhood, offering a sensory, emotional experience that speaks to strength, vulnerability and deep, unspoken connection. Cyanotyped onto fabric, the colour and movement mimics that of waves lapping at sand, the beads glinting in the light like pieces of sea glass.