Mapping the Intertidal
My ongoing series maps the complex ecology of the intertidal area within the Boundary Bay watershed in Delta, British Columbia. Over an extended period of time, the Intertidal project records a personal effort to make sense of and respond to environmental change by mirroring the cyclic rhythms of the tides. For me, the intertidal zone has become a biological metaphor for resilience, grief, and hope in the Anthropocene Era.
Already a marine coastal area of significant ontological variance, the tidal flat has been greatly impacted by recent human activity. Commercial shellfishing, shipping, agriculture, and development have altered the intertidal biodiversity by depleting native species, introducing new, more aggressive species, or making the environments inhospitable due to poor water quality.
The methodology for this project is a field study approach: a qualitative method of data collection that aims to observe, interact with, and understand organisms in their natural environment over a period of 12 months . I am greatly interested in the marine ecosystem close to my home. Each day, my observations are documented using photography, drawing, and note-taking. I am drawn to the evidence and remnants of interactions between organisms, surface, and weather— patterns, forms, and other signs of life — which, in their entirety, create a visual language of place. By focusing at the variable spaces between organisms and evidence their existence, relationships and processes within the ecosystem are accentuated.
All field studies are carried out with respect to the sensitive nature of the mudflat ecosystem. No specimens were removed from their habitat.
Bettina Harvey would like to acknowledge that she is living and working on the traditional unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, specifically the scəw̓aθən Tsawwassen First Nations.