Walton-on-the-Naze Geology: Sand on top of Red Crag on top of The London Clay.

The London Clay: A time of crocodiles, sharks, giant turtles and palm trees. The London Clay was deposited on the floor of a subtropical sea during the Ecocene period 50 million years ago. The coastline consisted of rainforest dominated by mangroves and palms. Plant material washed in to the sea and fossilised in the clay. Rivers flowing in to The London Clay carried the bones of mammals such as an early horse that was no larger than a small dog.

Red Crag: A layer of sand stained red by iron oxide and containing huge number of fossil shells. It was laid down as dunes on a sea bed during the Pilocene period 3 million years ago before the start of the Ice Age.

Fractured fault lines in the clay form chaotic patterns in the cliff face / Granular particles of clay and sand settle in triangular formations / The Red Crag flows over the cliff face like a liquid and is caught by the wind /

Complexity & Architecture: To me the images of Walton-on-the-Naze satisfy a human need for complexity. Can the right kind of complexity only come from nature? What visual and aesthetic experiences do we need and have in common that contribute to our sense of wellbeing? Can these experiences be simulated using technology? Could simulations of the natural world be integrated in to the built environment, the spaces and places that we inhabit? Advances in AI, machine learning, VR, simulation and fabrication eg. Laser cut materials, cladding systems etc, are beginning to be used effectively in architecture to form complex, abstract and beautiful building skins and forms, that manipiulate and filter the natural light entering a space.

Photography ©Andrew Durham 2016 & 2019.