Since 2021, I have been developing a photographic project on Two Tree Island in the Thames Estuary, investigating its history, from a landfill site until the 1970s, to the Nature Reserve it has become today. The project questions how environmental issues such as rising sea levels, faster erosion, and flooding, may cause high risk chemicals from the historic landfill to leach into the nearby beaches.

Two tree Island is classified as a historic landfill, as there are no records describing the types of chemicals and materials buried underneath the nature reserve. The site closed before waste disposal regulations came into place in the uk, leaving the contents undocumented and potentially hazardous for the local population.

This project has also provided an opportunity to reflect on the toxic chemicals and processes involved in analogue photography, and explore more sustainable and environmentally friendly methods of creating images.

Over the past three years, I have been experimenting with different contact printing techniques, including cyanotype and lumen printing. I have also taken 4x5 photographs with a pinhole camera, and learnt to process my film and prints with homemade developers, created from locally sourced plants.