Hala, a new series of 30 large-format photographs of the Al Hajar peninsula go on show at next week’s Photo London. The images are by UK landscape photographer Steve Macleod, who traveled to the mountain range in the United Arab Emirates after seeing a collection of images by British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger.
The the first body of work Macleod has created outside the UK, speaking about the series he says: ’Time stopped as I ventured through silent valley creeks and dry riverbeds. Fierce winds blew high up onto the mountain peaks as I experienced wide breathtaking vistas. For hours I watched the light, and by searching into a void of nothingness I experienced something that went beyond photography. It felt like I was viewing an untranslatable something that lay within and beyond the mountains – I wasn’t there just to take photographs; the landscape was helping explain that even if nothing presented itself to me, there would always be something meaningful to experience.’
The photographs are presented as archival inkjet prints on a high textured watercolour paper, imbuing the works with a style reminiscent of early Japanese watercolour paintings. The display is exhibited by Black Box Projects, a gallery that arranges pop up shows and specialises in contemporary work that pushes the limits of traditional photographic practice.
