The Tāmaki Estuary, once a thriving tidal ecosystem, has endured decades of environmental

degradation driven by industrialisation and urban expansion. A pivotal moment in its recent

history was the 1984 ICI Riverview chemical fire, which released toxic chemicals into the

waterway - polluting the estuary, decimating aquatic life, and leaving a toxic imprint within its

silty floor.

Though signs of recovery emerged within months, the damage was not fleeting. Heavy metal

traces, sediment disruptions, and continued runoff reflect a persistent environmental

imbalance - reminders that the estuary still bears the weight of its past.

This painting emerges from that layered history. Viewed from above, the estuary appears both

murky and luminous. Glints of iridescent colour suggest oil slicks or chemical

traces - ephemeral flashes of past contamination. Partially obscured beneath the surface, a

mud crab becomes a quiet emblem of resilience. Essential to sediment health, these creatures

continue the invisible work of filtering and repair.

The work invites reflection on how memory is held in place - in sediment, in species, in light. It

considers the estuary as more than a waterway: a living archive of environmental injustice and

ongoing recovery, fragile yet enduring.