Godrevy

Built in 1859, Godrevy is one of Britain’s most iconic lighthouses. Its beam sweeps out over St Ives Bay, Cornwall, warning ships and boats of a half-submerged reef. It has figured in paintings and drawings by the generations of artists based in St Ives since the 1880s and was the inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s 'To The Lighthouse', based on her childhood visits to the area. The photographs place the lighthouse in the context of its landscape and seascape, geology and weathers. Most of the pictures are triptychs, made from separate photographs. The aim is to get away from a ‘standard’ panoramic view, and approach the subject in multiple ways, in contrast to the idea that a special viewpoint or moment can adequately portray a place or scene. I see the lighthouse as a frail tower on its little island in the vastness of the sea. The reef and rocks threaten shipwreck and destruction. The light warns of peril, yet offers hope, survival, and a safe landfall.