Photographing hidden worlds on the banks of the Thames

The 360-degree images in Unquiet Thames are made by digitally stitching eight separate photos together. Hughes said they depict “a strange amphibious architecture which I find very beautiful and evocative”.

Hughes’ panoramic photographs draw you in with unusual viewpoints of London’s old and modern structures. You see some of the city’s busy landmarks from a new perspective. They feel wild and strangely empty.

This image reveals the view looking north from below Hungerford Bridge. The delicate Golden Jubilee Footbridges can be seen flanking the hulking mass of the railway bridge.

Wapping Old Stairs are historic watermen’s stairs, used by watermen who ferried Londoners across the river. Historic England designated the stairs as Grade II-listed, meaning they’re considered to have special historical interest.

There’s a sense of claustrophobia to some of these photos – you feel trapped in between the river and the underside of bridges and quays. Hughes says he was thinking about climate change, rising sea levels and the increasing danger of flooding during the project.

“While taking the pictures I was constantly aware of the tide rising around me,” he told photo agency Panos Pictures. “Many of the pictures have a blank screen or stage-like area at their centre as though a drama is about to be enacted. Returning after the rise and fall of the tide everything would be subtly rearranged.”