Images of landscapes and the picturesque have been mediated through photography for over 150 years. During this period the different styles of landscape photography have become as varied as the terrain they refer to. Much of this work has been produced during the daytime. The night time imagery that has been produced to a stated context often concerns itself with easily accessible urban spaces.

This project aims to produce a cohesive body of work that considers the vast landscape of the Lake District at night. This work centres on the themes and philosophies of Wordsworth and the Romantics.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries the arts reacted against the reason and logic of the Enlightenment and moved to a position that gave primacy to humans as individuals, and valued emotions and the imagination. Wordsworth and Coleridge were among the first British Poets to explore these ideas, and they did so in the peaceful surroundings of the Lake District. Here they found a place where they could ponder the relationship between nature and human life, explore the power of the imagination, reflect upon the mythological, fantastical, gothic and supernatural. There was an emphasis on the sublime - a spiritual awareness that could be stimulated by a grand and awesome landscape. During this period the Lake District was a relatively remote and peaceful area, but with the huge number of visitors today the only time when it is possible to experience anything like the ‘peace’ of Wordsworth’s time is the dead of night.

The project will run from November 2006 to November 2007, and will be exhibited at the Wordsworth Trust in early 2008, accompanied by a full colour catalogue. The project is supported by Arts Council England, The Wordsworth Trust, and the Friends of the Lake District.