Newhaven Open: Sara Hibbert
Responding to the Feedback Loop theme of Photo Fringe 2026, this photographic series explores the derelict foundations of Tide Mills, the former village at the Ouse estuary in Newhaven, bringing its human history into dialogue with the coastal wildlife that has reclaimed the site. Black-and-white photographs of the ruins are paired with large-scale colour macro images of native plants and marine life, creating a visual conversation between different histories and timelines, where ecological and human narratives intertwine and coexist. The work reflects on Tide Mills’ transformation from an eighteenth-century sea-powered flour mill, through the forced eviction of its remaining residents in 1937 and its later use for WWII firearms practice, to its present life as a nature reserve. Drawing on the legacy of The Tide Mills Project, the series considers how memory, place and ecology feed back into one another, with magnified images, light-collage techniques and installation creating a visual loop between the site’s past, present and imagined future.
Sara is a photographic artist based in Brighton, UK.
