Weekly Photo Challenge: Sea

I live on island. OK, it’s a pretty big one; the largest in the British Isles as it goes, and I think that makes me British. Or maybe a Briton. The historical and geographical associations make me uncertain. I’ll call myself an islander.

For this week’s photo challenge, Sea, Sara Rosso asks, “what kind of emotions does the sea make you feel?”

Being an islander, the sea is always at my edges. It may be far away, out of sight, but it is a part of who I am. There is a programme on the BBC, a series, Coast, which reminds us that here in the British Isles we are never more than 72 miles from the sea. It is something we grow up with, a knowledge of its power, its tidal nature, its beauty. The sea has shaped our history, shaped us. I cannot imagine what it could be like to live in a landlocked country.

This photo was taken several years ago on Uist, a place I wanted to visit to see the sculpture trail. This piece is part of that trail, and I feel it shows the relationship islanders, whether their island is big or small, feel between sea and sky and land.

Reflections, Uist sculpture park

This is what the guide syas about it:
Reflections This sweeping ceramic tiled seat by Dingwall artist Colin Mackenzie is wrapped around natural rock outcrops and echoes the shapes and colours of its surroundings. Gentle ripples on the sand at low-tide are mimicked on its surface and the concrete structure is covered in specially made tiles, glazed to reflect the surrounding colours; aqua with splashes of greys and greens reflects the sand, water and rocks. Reflections is located at Claddach Baleshare and marks the old crossing place to Baleshare before the causeway was built.

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