The salt frames emerge through personal connection – the relationships that draw NWH back to the Nightcliff foreshore in Darwin each year. The first iteration of this collection exhibited at the gallery of Melbourne’s Library at The Docks (March 15 - April 1, 2023). Conceived as part of a broader, personal process of coming-to-terms-with circumstances involving a loss, the exhibition aimed to describe the solace and inspiration gleaned from long and repeated walks along the coast; a process leading the photographer to sense correlation between salt and healing. 

Recalling lessons imparted by his mentor and Larrakia man Robert E. Lewis, the photographer gazed into the crystal-clear water of the Timor Sea. “Watch the water long enough and you’ll see a fish jump…” With Rob’s words reverberating through his head and heart, NWH embraced the now-realised need need to look inward (salt accruing additional meaning in this context, serving as an acknowledgement of the Larrakia, the traditional owners known colloquially as The Saltwater People).

Opening to speeches by artist Pamela Kleemann-Passi and Robert E. Lewis, the Salt Frames exhibition inspired both a review and project feature. An extended article detailing the depth of the photographer’s connection with Rob was published in the Australian Photo Review. The remaining prints from the 2023 exhibition are available for purchase in the store.