The photographer Andrea Irmeni explores the industrial and estuarine areas of the River Thames, inspired by the New Topographic Movement.

“This photographic project is a documentation of man-altered landscapes and how humans transform the land, resulting in areas that lose their natural identity. 

These transitional zones are often ignored and deemed unsightly as they are mainly considered in terms of their capital value. 

However, they possess a unique presence due to cultural and historical narratives hinted at by the remains of industrial ruins or newly built infrastructures. Inspired by the photographic movement of the New Topographics, which emphasizes the deadpan aesthetic and objectivity of landscape photography, I began documenting the industrial and estuarial areas of the River Thames. 

As my project progressed, I discovered a deeper purpose – to reveal the hidden poetry and narratives within these spaces. 

The aim became, to examine whether photography can be completely objective, and not just a mechanical or a strictly rational process of capturing light, but rather an opportunity to contemplate how we perceive, classify, and comprehend different environments. 

By doing so, it may encourage us to engage more deeply in the conversation between objectivity and subjective judgments, which are based on our knowledge of the stories embedded in the land and our response to them.”