Dana Montlack | Coastal Fragility Series

Coastal Fragility grows out of a deep fascination with the places where Georgia’s coastline rises and recedes each day. In the intertidal zone, oysters build reefs that become habitat, spartina grasses anchor the marsh, and species quietly adapt to tides that are never still. My work draws from marine-biology research and field study, translating those living systems into layered photographic art. It’s an attempt to honor both the beauty and the vulnerability of these ecosystems, and to invite a closer look at how coastal life holds on as the shoreline shifts beneath it.

My sincere thanks to NOAA and UGA Sea Grant, and to the collaborators whose support and expertise informed this work: Dr. Mona Behl (University of Georgia), Dr. Joel Kostka (Georgia Tech), and the Imaging Core Facility at Georgia State University.

See more from this series.

Intertidal #2
Archival pigment print, engraved and submerged metal frame.
14” x 11”
2023

Intertidal #2 is an archival pigment print set into a steel frame weathered through weeks of saltwater submersion, where rust and erosion became collaborators in its final appearance. The composite blends a hand-painted image of a lightning whelk shell with maps and nautical charts tied to Georgia’s coast. By combining scientific references and marine life from the shoreline, the work highlights the cultural and ecological significance of species that shape our coastal identity.