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

Knee Deep in Prayer

I stood knee deep in the water and prayed. Prayed. If ever a word had connotations, it’s ‘prayed’.

Choreographed Papal baby blessings

The day of the Pope’s visit to London was all about the protests and marches for us. That

Brown carpets and rotating Y-fronts

Arrival in India 13-03-11: An airport is an airport is an airport. And Delhi airport is an airport.

Ablutions on the Giant’s Causeway

Sometimes you have to squeeze a trip into whatever time you have available. And if all you have

Randomly Selected

An exhibition in London’s Carnaby Street

The new Staircase Gallery at Howies: Well I guess that makes it official then. I have just been

The Red Light District: Blog 2nd June 2014

West of the Sun – an exciting week ahead: Life is all about stretching those comfort zones. And

Half a Mile from Russia

I do not know whether it is because of the generation I am from or whether Russia does

Luck led to Normandy – by Barbara Wace

Written by Barbara in April 1995: When the Allied invasion became a certainty and the only question was