A City on a Hill.
Focusing on Scurdie Ness lighthouse and the surrounding smaller lights at the mouth of the River South Esk, this project was a tribute to some of the most recognisable buildings from the ages of sail and steam. Lighthouses have always interested me due both to their impressive strength and beauty as well as the air of mystery and adventure that surrounds them. To sailors and seafaring communities such as Ferryden (the village closest to Scurdie Ness) these beacons against the sea meant the difference between life and death, signalling that home and hearth were close by.
Along with its more historical and romantic aspects, I wanted this work to capture some of the loneliness and melancholy of the lights, especially as they become less important in their practical role of guiding ships, superseded by radar and satellite systems. Whilst I am aware that the lives of sailors were far from easy, and that if they could have used modern navigational aids they certainly would, I can't help but feel a sense of loss knowing that the world feels far smaller now than it did then.