8 years ago I journeyed to the The Chincha Islands, a small remote archipelago off the coast of Peru. Also known as the Guano Islands, centuries of nesting seabirds such as the Guanay cormorant fed on rich Humboldt current fisheries. A lack of rain on the Peruvian coast allowed layers of excrement to build up into massive deposits. During the 1840s Peru began a large-scale export of this "White Gold", being used as a nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich fertilizer. When I arrived 8 years ago, it was hard not to look in any direction and see thousands of birds, the sound was utterly overwhelming. A few days ago, 8 years on from this first trip, I returned with writer and friend Laurence Blair. There was an unfamiliar quiet; the bird population had dwindled rapidly due to Avian Flu and the oncoming effects of El Nino. The islands had changed.

Recently, I also visited Tyntesfield nr. Bristol, the family home of William Gibbs. Gibbs was responsible for the British trade monopoly of Peruvian Guano from the Chincha Islands. Although passing away in 1875, the empire he built was among the catalysts that led to The War of the Pacific.

I look forward to sharing some of this work in the future, for now I've been taking some photogaphs on my phone around the islands I'd like to share.