Beach Study

Filmed on the shore of Cactus Bay on Waiheke Island, 'Beach Study', 2012 recalls Sriwhana Spong’s memories of a much-loved beach she visited as a child, which is no longer easily accessible due to private ownership.

The film features the artist performing a series of enigmatic movements. ‘I had rehearsed some moves that I’d based on my memory of the place,’ Spong notes, ‘but when I got there everything shifted in empathy with the site. . . . Many of the movements were influenced by the terrain and flora of the beach.’

Commenting on her choice of film as medium, Spong states: ‘I chose to use 16-millimetre here to be as experimental in the moment of recording as I was being in the moment of action.’ In addition to exploring the idiosyncrasies of film stock, the artist also uses cyan, magenta and yellow filters to create intense flashes of lurid colour.

- Sarah Farrar, Head of Curatorial and Learning, 2024

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