Polly Tootal
Polly Tootal is a British photographer based in London. Since 2010, she has been exploring the anonymous landscapes of contemporary England, focusing on ordinary spaces, transitional zones, and places where human activity, architecture, and the environment intersect. A graduate of the University of Brighton, she creates precise and contemplative photographs using medium and large formats.
In Unknown Places, Tootal observes how abandoned industrial heritage intermingles with architecture still in use and with new developments. Brownfields, warehouses, housing developments, and spaces undergoing renovation bear witness to a landscape in perpetual transformation. Although marked by human activity, these places appear deserted. Stripped of context and points of reference, they become strangely familiar and reveal their uniqueness. Her direct, silent gaze focuses on forms, architectural details, and the surrounding areas, transforming these ordinary spaces into almost surreal landscapes.
