dungeness: britian's only desert

Located in Kent, South-East England, Dungeness is a place of a strange energy. The desolate shingle beach dubbed 'The only desert in Britain' is home to many curious juxtapositions. Rusted metal scraps from boats washed up on the beach situated by little sheds and empty huts covered in mediocre graffiti, houses and bungalows reminiscent of suburban americana, all in the shadow of the enormous bleak EDF nuclear power station. Walking the shingle beach I was immediately taken with the vast number of visual contradictions, to which I am naturally drawn. The result is a series of eerily peaceful images of strange structures depicted in high contrast black and white and brightly coloured homes with telephone lines as long as the eye can see in the background. I intend to visit again, continuing to create a more indepth photographic study of one of the most peculiar places I've found myself in. My intention is  to capture the strange feeling of the wasteland that is Dungeness; for the viewer to be able to sense the unusual energy oozing from the environment, all while still seeing beauty within the landscape.

words and images by spike rawling (@shotbyspike)