James Retief began in early 2019 to explore the epic spaces underneath structures such as wharves and piers, revealed twice every day as the tide drops.

He has captured these ‘tidal rooms’ from foreshore level, revealing their accidental yet powerful beauty. While the structures were designed solely to support activities above – such as loading and unloading ships – the spaces enclosed underneath are unwittingly majestic, often on a spectacular scale.

Careful planning was vital to capture the banal magnificence of these enigmatic spaces. The specific height of the tide is used compositionally, along with the ethereal rendering of water produced by a long exposure. Images were usually taken during falling tide in early morning light, where the soft light reached deep into the ‘rooms’.

While much of London has become increasingly sterile, the foreshore remains messy and an ever-shifting terrain. It is a largely forgotten landscape that feels peripheral despite being within the city centre.

James hopes that the images will stimulate debate about the meaning of public space in a city that is increasingly defined by private developments and surveillance culture.

’The theatrical monumentality of these utilitarian structures provides a rich backdrop for public life,’ he explains. ‘There’s the sense of an empty stage full of civic potential, with clues as to what truly public space can aspire to achieve,’ he says.