To the West of the Sun

“But what is there, west of the sun?” I asked.
She shook her head again. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Or maybe something.”

These two lines from Haruki Murakami‘s 1992 novel, South of the Border, West of the Sun, gave birth to a concept that has come to represent my photography and the way in which I work.

In ‘West of the Sun’, I had found a perfect description of the state of mind into which I enter, the zone within which I work. As if forever seeking that perfect image – chasing my tail whilst striving to reach that mystical land beyond the horizon, over the rainbow and to the West of the Sun.

Thanks to Murakami I now have the glue that holds my landscapes together. The umbrella under which my work can live as I document my journey towards that elusive world, to the West of the Sun.

Related Links & Images

Link to the documentary From Dark to Light by Jim Shannon, June 2015.

The Dyngjufjöll Mountains, Iceland by Toby Deveson. August 2015

Chanctonbury Ring, Sussex, England by Toby Deveson. April 1997

Ceiriog Valley, Wales by Toby Deveson. December 2002

Lepang, Bali, Indonesia by Toby Deveson. May 2008

Latest

Swarm

It was as simple as ‘get to the top of Finland and turn left’.  At least that is

Blink and you’ll miss it

Iceland. Never has the essence of a country so closely resembled the way in which I see the

Under the Stars in Madagascar

There are times when writing about memories from as far back as my eighteenth year feels wrong. How

Viewpoints

The Rooftop Collective exhibition edition VI Tempus Fugit. So they say. Here we are again, another Rooftop Collective

Memories

Confiscation in Aden

This was one of those moments when something inside you withers away and dies. I was only just

She Flirts With You

Much has been written about the relationship between the photographer and their subject. From the intimacy of portraiture,

Five Minute Windows

After driving over 7000km in nine days around Scandinavia it was the morning of my last day. I

Swarm

It was as simple as ‘get to the top of Finland and turn left’.  At least that is

Randomly Selected

Equipment and Materials used – A Nikkormat Camera

A Nikkormat I was given a Nikkormat body and a couple of lenses including a 50mm for, I

Toby Deveson on Social Media

You can follow me on various Social Media and photography platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Flickr. Please

The Rooftop Collective Edition V

It always astonishes me how much influence a curator can have on an exhibition. I effectively curate my

Interview with Amateur Photographer Magazine

Feature in Saturday 9 June 2012 issue: There’s no denying it. You can pretend it’s not important, you