Newhaven Open: Toby Lamborn, The Shimmer
Based in Brighton, England, my practice primarily explores the interplay between memory and place. Coming from a background in BMX, photography became an outlet outside of riding a bike that provided the same potential to reimagine urban space and everyday life. My practice has since evolved to include a larger influence from research as well as using the lens of folklore to reinvigorate the landscape. By focussing on local social histories, my work attempts to include voices and new imaginations of often overlooked places and perspectives.
The Shimmer began with a conversation during Photo Fringe 2024, when the artist was told that the South Downs had once appeared blue with vast populations of Chalk Hill Blue butterflies. This sparked an investigation into the disappearance of the phenomenon and the changing relationship between ecology, land management and social history. Through photography and research, the project explores how landscapes are shaped not only by what is physically present, but by memory, stories and what has been lost. Yet The Shimmer is not solely concerned with absence: the emergence of around 860,000 Chalk Hill Blues at Friston Gallops in 2012 offers a glimpse of the spectacle returning, and a reminder that landscapes and ecosystems remain capable of change and renewal.
