The Hoo peninsula lies between the estuaries of the Thames and the Medway, about an hour's drive from central London.  This narrow piece of land consists mostly of sand and clay hills, surrounded by marshland. Nature seems strangely remote and lifeless, and the landscape full of contrasts. Between grazing sheep on salt marshes and muddy ground, technology and industry have long since made their appearance; the wasteland is traversed by electricity pylons and populated by many a bizarre wreck that has long been a part of the scenery.

Over a period of several years the photographer Michael Collins made his way to Hoo with a large format camera and tried to uncover the traces of history in this seemingly robust landscape.

Out of this have come shots inspired by the landscapes of plein air painting that stand out for their attention to detail and are deliberately framed in the tradition of the so-called "record picture" of the 19th century - archive images documenting the achievements of industrialisation on behalf of the government.