On the coast of Chile lies a place that has become a personal meditation on time, erosion, and quiet transformation — Salinas de Pullally.
When I first visited in 2009, two ponds near the shoreline were covered with what looked like torn fabric. The sight suggested something discarded, perhaps the remnants of a mattress, its fibers frayed and spread by the sea’s relentless waves against the surrounding rocks.
It was both unsettling and fascinating — a fragile human trace slowly being consumed by the ocean. I decided to call it the Matress and the pond, creating an imaginary story of a matress through to the sea and and finally arriving to the seashrore ponds.
Over the years, I returned often to Salinas de Pullally. Each visit revealed a quieter story, where the fibers dissolved little by little, until the sea claimed them entirely. Last month, I returned once more. This time, no vestige remained. What was once a startling interruption in the natural landscape had vanished, leaving only water, algae, and seaweed in its place.
The transformation carries its own poetry. What appeared accidental became an unfolding narrative: fabric giving way to algae, algae yielding to seaweed, and the sea reclaiming its voice. The absence is as striking as the presence once was.
This series is not about fabric itself, but about the dialogue between permanence and disappearance, between what humans leave behind and how nature responds.
From panoramic views of rocks and ponds to intimate studies of algae and seaweed roots, these images reflect more than a decade of looking — of witnessing how landscapes shift silently, but profoundly.
In Salinas de Pullally, the sea is both artist and eraser, leaving us with a reminder that time itself is the most patient sculptor.
Explore more works at gcs.photo — fine art photography where water, memory, and time become poetic meditation.
