The Mangroves from the Water 360-degree film reflects my art practice in and with the mangroves—kayaking, painting and sketching within this remarkable ecosystem. It follows my ongoing journey, on most Sundays, into the hidden reaches of mangrove forests, where I paint from a kayak as part of an embodied dialogue with nature—a practice that promotes ‘ecological intimacy’—love and care for mangroves.

These forests are vital carbon sinks that sustain life, yet they are rapidly disappearing. Through this 360° film, I explore the spirit of returning to nature and my lived experience of moving through the mangroves, where the boundaries between body, water and forest dissolve. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology, the work explores how the visible and invisible, the inner and outer, are inseparable.

Developed as part of my PhD research project at Deakin University, the film was first presented in 2025 and was supported by community and institutional collaboration. This work was created solely by me, and I hold full copyright.

Open this link to view the 10-minute film:

All images, videos and articles on this blog are © Zahidah Zelda Zeytoun Millie except where otherwise noted. All rights reserved.