Tales from the Loop: V1

Chapter Eight: This Is Not the End

I hadn’t intended to leave this post for so long—but between finishing my MA, preparing for the Bloom exhibition, and life in general, everything just got away from me. More than that, I’ve struggled with this post because every time I start writing, it feels like a final chapter—which it isn’t.

The Loop, and its original premise, has evolved into something much larger—a project I hope will take on many incarnations. The Bloom Exhibition marks Version One of what I see as an ongoing creative journey.

Having dedicated two-thirds of my Master’s course to Tales from the Loop, I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface. The longer I walk and photograph The Loop, the more the space changes—and the more stories it reveals.

Going forward, I plan to revisit and document The Loop whenever I can, watching how its form and feeling shift over time. It’s a project built on observation, repetition, and transformation—a living process that reflects both place and self.

Collaboration and Expansion

For the Bloom Exhibition, I wanted to push the project beyond photography by working collaboratively. Unable to walk far due to health limitations (as I discussed in Chapter Seven), I began thinking about how I could transform the project through narrative and interdisciplinary practice.

Through this, I found inspiration in dystopian literature and liminal spaces, exploring how fiction might weave into the visual narrative. I considered ways to display The Loop as a story—through sequential prints, projections, or even sound-driven experiences that guide viewers step by step through the space.

Creative Collaborations

While developing these ideas, I spoke with several people about The Loop—its atmosphere, research influences, and potential. Two friends in particular became central collaborators:

• Sarah Neder, a writer, who responded to The Loop through poetry and text. We walked the route together, sharing thoughts on space, transition, and isolation. I asked her to create written responses—whether poems, fragments, or reflections—to mirror the rhythm of the walk.

• Rob Jones, a painter, who responded to the project remotely. Although he couldn’t visit the site, I sent him a large selection of photographs, sound recordings, and books that had influenced the work—such as Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More and The Road.

I wanted each collaborator to create their own “Tale from the Loop,” allowing the project to grow organically across mediums—visual, written, and auditory.

George Orwell, Sound, and Number Stations

During this period, I began researching Number Stations—mysterious shortwave radio broadcasts that transmit coded messages. Their eerie, anonymous presence resonated deeply with The Loop’s atmosphere.

Unable to walk far, I started gathering live recordings of these broadcasts and building soundscapes from them in GarageBand. These became a bridge between isolation, technology, and place—further connecting to the dystopian undertones of The Loop, and echoing writers like George Orwell and Cormac McCarthy.

I sent these soundscapes to Rob to inspire his paintings, blending the auditory, visual, and emotional aspects of the project into a unified experience.

Tales from the Loop: Version One – Bloom Exhibition

Tales from the Loop (Version 1) was exhibited at the School of Digital Arts (SODA) at Manchester Metropolitan University as part of the MA Degree Show: Bloom.

• My photograph, In the Shadow of the Monolith, was printed at Genesis Imaging as a 50x50 inch direct-to-media print on brushed Dibond—chosen to mirror the industrial aesthetic of the image itself.

• Sarah’s poem, inspired by our walk and the photographs, was printed on vinyl and displayed alongside the work.

• Rob’s contribution featured four framed oil paintings on old maps of Manchester, created while listening to the soundscapes and viewing the imagery from The Loop.

Together, these pieces formed a multi-sensory installation, combining photography, painting, sound, and text across two walls at the entrance of the exhibition space.

Looking Ahead

Although Tales from the Loop: Version One has reached its first conclusion, this is far from the end. The project has shifted from a solitary photographic exploration into a collaborative and performative practice—one that will continue to evolve with each iteration.

This is not the end—only the first chapter of many.