Looking for darkness 2005

This project is an experimental journey into some of Wales’ subterranean places in search of new ways of working with light. Made possible by an Arts Council of Wales Creative Wales Award in 2005, the artist has made over 20 underground trips into caves, mines and tunnels, guided by instructors Vaisey Bramley and Judith Spring, in search of the underlying qualities that define the unlit world. The result is a series of experimental photographs that record the process of exploration and the artist’s attempts at drawing with light.

After spending a lot of time trying to exclude natural light from the studio, the idea of working underground became a compelling alternative. The lack of daylight results in what appears to be a dead world until the darkness is temporarily parted with lamps and reveal the hidden processes of geological time. These intestinal passages are a source of both intrigue and beauty