Propulsion 4

Title Left:
Icy Blue
Polemasters Playhouse, West Hollywood, California
Photo 2024, Print 2026

Title Right:
Three Moon Jellyfish, Ghost Cyan and Molten Amber
(Aurelia labiata)
Long Beach, California
Photo 2024, Print 2026
Propulsion 2

Title Left:
Shimmy, Cyan
Polemasters Playhouse, West Hollywood, California
Photo 2024, Print 2026

Title Right:
Pacific Sea Nettle, Yellow and Blue-Green
(Chrysaora fuscescens)
Photo 2024, Print 2026

Propulsion (2026)

Propulsion explores the intersection of movement, perception, and sensuality through the pairing of two seemingly disparate subjects: jellyfish and pole dancers.

Developed between 2020 and 2026, the series presents photographic diptychs that juxtapose drifting marine life with performers suspended in motion. Photographed using a consistent analog approach and carefully controlled lighting, the images reveal a shared visual language of fluidity, gesture, and form.

By placing these subjects side by side, Waterman challenges preconceived ideas surrounding erotic performance. Removed from context and viewed through the same aesthetic lens, the dancers are no longer defined by narrative or assumption, but by their formal beauty and presence.

Propulsion will premiere with Albumen Gallery at Photo London in May 2026 and will be published as a monograph by Skira in February 2027.