Lilli Waters

A chambered nautilus is suspended among the roots of drifting water plants, which resemble fine silk threads, reflecting the Thai tradition of krathongs, small offerings released on water to honour ancestors and seek spiritual blessings. Its spiral suggests fertility, evolution, and cycles, concepts connected to karma and the rhythms of the natural world.

In the moonlit realm, the luminous nautilus hovers alone in a dreamlike, cosmic water world. The surrounding scene forms a meditative, liminal space, a vessel holding inner wisdom, memory, and unseen life, hinting at mystical realms. Bronzed tones suggest permanence, ritual, and reverence. ​Whilst Chiangdao, or Star Mountain, a mountainous region in northern Thailand known for its serene nocturnal landscapes, evokes the quiet luminescence of a celestial world, linking earthly waters with cosmic light.

Says Lilli Waters of her photographic series ‘Sunken Water Gardens สวนใต้น้ำ’, “I explore my Thai heritage and ancestral mythology, drawing from the Buddhist cosmology of Traiphum, the Three Worlds, encompassing the celestial (heavenly), the terrestrial (earthly), and the infernal (underworld). These ethereal underwater still-life landscapes intertwine plants, flowers, and fish to create tranquil, meditative scenes that reflect my preoccupation with the natural world while connecting to cultural memory. Offerings of flowers and water become gestures linking the living with the divine.

"I have always felt a detachment from my Thai heritage, yet I see it reflected in the way my mother looks and in gestures that feel familiar. I am
deeply curious about what has been carried across generations, the weight of trauma and nostalgia, the silences, the absences, and the things never spoken but deeply felt. Through my underwater still-life photography, I explore the intersection of these cultural identities, blending traditional Thai symbolism with contemporary artistic expression."