Kym McDowell, Idyllic | Industrial (LANDSCAPE 2026)

These images are part of a larger series exploring the place of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in the UK. A location made photographically famous by Michael Kenna, it is currently being decommissioned and will be demolished in the next few years. With its position alongside the intersection of the River Soar and the River Trent, the power station is both contrasted and complemented by historic canals, recoursed waterways, bridges and locks. Wandering around the river it struck me how these artefacts of industrial progress are now considered “picturesque”. Once essential for transport at the height of the Industrial Revolution, these objects are now seen as beautiful remnants of a romanticised past. This juxtaposition raises questions about how time transforms our perception of these structures. Could the cooling towers, too, eventually become romantic relics of a bygone era also worthy of preservation? My series is an invitation to consider not only the physical reality of the power station but also the changing social and historical context that shapes its image. What is the ‘truth’ of the power station and how do we understand its place in the landscape of history?

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.