Thomson's compelling photo essay, first published in 2011, is being compiled into a photo book that depicts everyday life in the shadow of the nuclear power station, before the middle-class came calling
Growing up, photographer Edward Thompson could see Dungeness’s nuclear power station through his bedroom window. To him, the ominous structure seemed unremarkable. It nestled into the background, an ever-present and incidental quirk of the horizon.
Dungeness, colloquially termed Britain’s only desert, is known for its stark and mystical landscape. Many photographers have captured its shingle expanses, sculptural flotsam, coastal vegetation and, of course, the fishermen’s cottages perched perilously on the beach, made famous by Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage.
However, it is the locals who captivate in Thompson’s Welcome to Dungeness series. In 2011, he spent nine months documenting moments of their everyday lives: sunbathers lolling, families picnicking and boys sitting cross-legged in front of an Eiffel Tower-esque pylon. Many of the photos were taken through sitting-room windows, amongst cups of tea and a natter. Thompson got to know the people well and speaks of them fondly – he was even given a kitten by one family.
The colossal power station lurks, apparently unnoticed and the perfect foil for the banality of the everyday in the foreground. Strangeness is layered with familiarity and mellowed by the nostalgic tones of Thompson’s medium-format camera.
Even the latent danger of nuclear catastrophe is undercut by the safety of the nature reserve. Thompson heard from parents, who had moved to Dungeness from urban estates, that they were no longer worried about their kids playing outside. It was an idyllic existence, which happened to take place next to a nuclear power station.
Thompson has resisted the urge to add to the project, despite currently compiling a photo book of the series including additional photos taken at the time. Appropriately entitled Welcome to Dungeness, it remains a time capsule of 2011, before the middle-class holidaymakers flocked to the beach for quirky architectural conversions, Jarman’s cultural legacy and wilderness chic.
Whether Dungeness is or was a desert is contested – but Thompson certainly found real life there.
Edward Thompson is a British documentary photographer.
Support the kickstarter campaign to fund a Welcome to Dungeness photo book, with a foreword by crime writer William Shaw, here. The deadline to contribute is 10:00 AM Sunday 30 June 2024.