Coast Under Threat is a photographic essay about the decline of a coastline seen through the repairs and interventions made to it by local communities. This body of work consists of observations in Stephen Perry’s local area relating to sea level rise. Hard engineering solutions appear fleeting at best. Piles of imported stones, concrete, and rusty steel in the middle of the beach, far from the cliff face is evidence of the temporary nature of their endeavours. This misguided enthusiasm is being repeated by the current cliff top dwellers who are installing ever more gigantic constructions with rose-tinted optimism. When will it stop?

Stephen Perry has been based in Devonport, Aotearoa for the past 30 years but spent his formative years in Ontario, Canada, including 5 years at Ontario College of Art and Design where he majored in Art Photography. Having lived through many technological, economic and environmental changes during his lifetime, he enjoys documenting and crafting imagery around the themes of social change, environmental degradation, economic disparity, as well as natural beauty.

Stephen Perry  http://www.highartphotography.co.nz/