The Cube: Diana Baker Smith

Diana Baker Smith’s exhibition traces the movement and rhythms of two port cities: Cobh Harbour in Ireland and Sydney Harbour in Australia. Filmed across the water and along the shorelines, the work observes the ebb and flow of boats, people and tides, evoking the murky histories of maritime trade and migration that connect these sites.  

Historically connected through the British Empire, Cobh and Sydney were key points of departure and arrival for people and materials moving between Ireland and Australia, including the artist’s own ancestors. Filmed on Super 8 while walking along the harbour edges, the work follows a simple filming score in which the camera is directed towards the shifting surface of the water. Installed across multiple screens, Trace a Piece of Water brings these distant waterways into relation through repetition, interruption and the material rhythms of Super 8 film.