2025 Mullins Conceptual Photography Prize

Dad's Last Swim

Hilary Wardhaugh

Dad's Last Swim, 2024 digitised lumen prints, diptych 25 x 42 cm

My dad died in 2017. Since then, his ashes have been kept in a cupboard in our Mum’s bedroom until last year when we scattered his ashes at his favourite beach where we had spent our holidays as a family. Before scattering them into the waves I made a lumen 'portrait' of him using his ashes. I then washed the paper in the sea leaving sand where his ashes had lain. I always remember Dad being sandy and salty at the beach after swimming. For permanency I re-photographed each result.