This work was made and presented on the unceded lands of the Bunurong, Boon Wurrung and Torres-Martinez Cahuillan peoples.

Sea State is an imagining of radical empathy between bodies of water. This work breathes life from one sea to another.

Part one was presented at the 2022 Bombay Beach Biennale in the backyard of this house on the edge of civilization on the shores of the Salton Sea. It breathed life from the biodiverse Westernport Bay / Warn Marrung in Australia to the receding Salton Sea / Lake Cahuilla in the United States. Part two was a reciprocation. Presented in the backyard of a house in a tranquil seaside village on the shores of Westernport Bay. It invited the receding Salton Sea to breathe life back, in return.

Part three, shown here, brings part one and two together in a soaring call to reanimate our seas and ourselves. This offering sees the meeting of both photographic surveys, all installation elements and layers spoken word into the multi channel soundscape. This installation was first presented at the 2024 Bombay Beach Biennale and has since lived permanently at Bombay Beach in California. The outdoor gallery is in the backyard of 2115 Second St, Bombay Beach. The golden temple tank is on the beach at the end of the Aisle of Palms. Soundcape via QR code when in situ.

Janenne Willis, lead artist, installation, photography, writings, spoken word and field recordings. Tilman Robinson, sound composition. Rosie Sayers x Geoffrey Watson, costumes. I Am You, Hinetera Marino, Uma Neave Spender, Sacha Guggenheimer, breathers. The photographic works and field recordings were captured at both the Salton Sea and Westernport Bay. Some images feature art by Shig and Olivia Steele.

Film credit: Curtis Hill Films and Sam Ashton-Jones