From the wonderful Side Gallery Newcastle
The industrialized river mouth documented in the early 1980s by the North Yorkshire photographer, extending his 1970s work in Greatham Creek.
Macdonald wrote: ‘The Tees Estuary is visually extremely exciting. Its richness, in part, arises from the inherent contrasts of the natural environment against man-made structures – of the vast sphere of sky, serene or dramatic, against the horizontal flatness of lowland space punctuated by verticals as power stations, fractionating columns, blast furnaces and estuarine lights. The vast expanse of water reflects a permeating light which clothes objects and landscape in a unique brightness, beautiful and sensational, a delight to photographers and film-makers alike.’ Commissioned by Side Gallery, the exhibition was shown in 1982.
All images © Ian Macdonald
See the online exhibition here
The Smell of Water 