Artwork
Map of Horizons (Part I)
Map of Horizons (Part I) is a photographic photography by Theo Simpson. It dates from 2021 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Simpson blends photography with engineering, turning landscapes into objects that talk about Britain’s past.
Theo Simpson’s 2021 photograph, *Map of Horizons (Part I)*, shows a slice of ancient time frozen in stone. It’s a black-and-white shot of petrified wood from Borth’s long-submerged forest on the Ceredigion coast. Simpson blends photography with engineering, turning landscapes into objects that talk about Britain’s past.
His work links nature, industry, and politics. This piece grew from a walk where he saw wood turned to rock by time and tide. He prints, engraves, and shapes the images so they feel both natural and made.
See how he mixes art and mechanics. Look up Theo Simpson next.
Overview
Map of Horizons (Part I) is a 2021 black‑and‑white photograph by British artist Theo Simpson. The image captures a segment of petrified wood that once formed part of an ancient forest now submerged along the Ceredigion Coast Path near Borth, Wales. The work presents a moment where geological time is rendered as a visual surface, inviting contemplation of landscape transformation.
Subject & Meaning
The photograph records the fossilised remains of trees that have been turned to stone by centuries of marine exposure. By focusing on this material, Simpson foregrounds the layered histories of the British coastline, suggesting connections between natural processes, industrial exploitation of resources, and the narratives that shape national identity.
Technique & Style
Simpson employs a large‑format camera to produce a high‑resolution, tonal image that emphasizes texture and contrast. The black‑and‑white palette strips away colour, heightening the sculptural quality of the petrified wood. His practice often incorporates printmaking and engineering methods, but in this piece the photographic process itself functions as a precise, documentary tool.
History & Provenance
Created in 2021, the photograph was produced after Simpson’s field observation of the exposed fossilised forest during a walk along the coast. The work has been exhibited in several contemporary art venues in the United Kingdom and is held in the artist’s own archive, where it continues to inform subsequent investigations of landscape and industrial heritage.
Context
Simpson’s practice merges concerns of British political and industrial history with environmental change. The Ceredigion coast, once a thriving forest, now bears the remnants of that ecosystem, mirroring broader themes of human impact on the environment and the persistence of geological memory within the built landscape.
Artist & collection
Artist
Theo Simpson makes stark, grid-based photographs that play with angles and empty space.
