Julie Patarin-Jossec – The Thread of Water

Review by Lee Halvorsen •

Before starting a photo book, I usually flip quickly through the pages from back to front to give me a feel for the book. I started to do the same with this small book but surprisingly found myself often pausing to absorb the abstract images more purposefully. The book is an unusual visual essay of the author’s observations, proposals and conclusions enhanced by immersive, abstract images.

The title and images hint at a theme of water however, water is more the vessel of the metaphor. The progressive development of the theme sequenced with the abstract images offer the reader an opportunity to look at life from a different perspective. The images are black and white, raw closeups and thermography, enhancing the story of each chapter and the progression of the theme to resilience.

The book has five chapters and a significant afterword by Greg Scott. Each short textual chapter concludes with abstract underwater images adding context and perspective reality to the text body. “Reflexive wandering…” is how the book’s back cover describes its content. To me, the arc of the story and supporting images was purposeful and productive. The text is a blend of prose, poetry, field notes, conclusions, graphics, and references.

The first chapter introduces us to the author whose teaching gig in Russia as a traditional ethnographer was coming to an end. Returning to France she decided to “become” a SCUBA diver, to join their community. In less than a year she became a certified commercial diver confronting her fears, the bias of her peers, and the traditions of the profession. Simultaneously, she began to approach ethnography as an ethic, more than just a method. Chapter images are abstract: detailed waves with sharply defined edges and distant mountaintops barely seen above the enclosing waves.

Embodiment is the theme of the second chapter and what the author calls her core notion in ethnography. She brings in the concept of “hydrofeminism” developed by Astrida Neimanis which invites us to consider our bodies as bodies of water. Doing so would perhaps soften and even eliminate edges and boundaries making ethnographic embodiment less about observation and more about experiencing…not trying to control. The images in this chapter have lost some of their detail but still have soft, identifiable boundaries.

The third chapter brings domination of the environment and women by men as a function of the western culture separating nature and culture. The author found the field of diving physically and emotionally more difficult than it should have been because the discipline was normally for men, equipment was not made for women, she was harassed, etc. Women were either absent or invisible, but men leave their stamp on most things. The chapter’s images introduce manmade objects into the murky underwater view.

In the fourth chapter, the author introduces us to the holistic system of beliefs which are connected to hydro- and ecofeminism. The concept of water flowing through us and us flowing through the water erases boundaries and encourages connection. The author used underwater thermal photography in this chapter’s images with siren like waves reminding me of desert dunes without beginning or end.

The fifth chapter images have edges emerging again in the form of seafloors, water horizons, and shorelines. The final image might be a self-portrait of the author in a diving suit. The text brings the concept of “one with the water” to a personal rather than conceptual level.

The afterword by Greg Scott adds observation detail to the book about their shared ethnographic profession and his own experiences using the book as a tool. He characterizes the book as a Field Guide for Seeing. The small size of the book makes it easy to carry, like a field guide suggested by Scott.

I found “The Thread of Water” interesting and educational, inspiring me to learn more about hydrofeminism, ecofeminism and ethnographic methodologies. The book is a powerful fusion of observations with some fascinating propositions. Different. Yes. But certainly worth the read!

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Lee Halvorsen is a visual artist and author.

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The Thread of Water: Ethnography, Photography, & Feminist Ecologies — Julie Patarin-Jossec

Photographer: Julie Patarin-Jossec, Ph.D., born Chicago, IL and resides in Fréjus, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France.

Text: Julie Patarin-Jossec, with Afterword by Greg Scott

Language: English

Soft cover, perfect binding, 100 copies, 88 pages, 8.5” x 5.5”, ISBN: 978-1-962415-00-2

Book design: Brian O’Neill, Micah McCoy

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