Land Loss: The Erosion and Fragility of the British Coast

Max Miechowski photographs loss, acceptance, and the effects of time passing along the southern British coast—documenting the existence of communities living on the cliffs, at the edge of the land

Land Loss: The Return to Childhood Places

Land Loss is the title of Max Miechowski’s photographic project and photobook, produced by the Turin-based publisher Witty Books and already in its second reprint. It offers a profound analysis of feelings of loss, acceptance, and the inevitable passage of time. Geographically, it is set along the southern British coast, documenting not so much the touristy seaside towns with their piers, arcades, carousels, and seagulls, but rather the complex and often contradictory existence of communities living on the cliffs—on the very edge of the land.

Having grown up in Lincoln (an inland town in England) before moving to London, Miechowski revisits these areas that shaped his childhood memories, places he frequented during summer holidays. Growing up not too far from the sea inevitably influences one’s relationship with the land, and Miechowski recalls it differently from how it was before climate conditions became so challenging. Indeed, this stretch of the British coast is known for the fastest rate of erosion in Europe: torrential rains increase the risk of landslides, as does the rising sea level, leaving inhabitants in a state of perpetual precariousness, fully aware that their homes could vanish in an instant.

The first monograph by the English photographer Max Miechowski

“The water hasn’t changed since then, the surface heaving up and down like the chest of somebody asleep, dragging breaths in and out. I stood on the boat, adrift on this huge muscular body.
My own frame felt slight and fragile.
I would begin and end, but the sea would go on forever, slowly taking what it needed from the land.”

This excerpt is taken from the introductory text of 1989, the first monograph by the English photographer Max Miechowski. It recounts the story of a man fishing at night along the southern British coast who, despite the darkness and stillness of the waters, has learned to recognize the coastal movements and to sense when the edges are slowly being swallowed by the sea. The slowness and anticipation with which this fisherman approaches the land—returning after a catch laden with memories from the past—bring him closer to a sense of temporality and irreversibility that characterizes the British coast and its inhabitants.

Max Miechowski and the Perception of Time

Tired of London’s frantic pace, Max Miechowski began traveling again in 2019 to revisit his childhood haunts. He did so in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic—a uniquely charged historical moment that, combined with the suspended state of these lands, situates the photographic project on a deeply reflective plane concerning the perception of time. Despite this erosion phenomenon being increasingly rapid (places predicted to disappear in ten years have been lost to the sea in five), the atmosphere among the houses and inhabitants of these villages is surprisingly slow and peaceful. The photographer’s approach does not challenge the territory’s condition head-on; rather, it offers a poetic narration of how time is experienced in these places through their inhabitants.

“In some way it seemed that time flowed more slowly in these areas compared to the city; at the same time, the people living on the edge have a clear awareness of the rhythm of time, thanks to the signals they read from the landscape: after one week, the tree has fallen; after two weeks, the water is even closer to the house….”

Here, time and landscape intertwine and decelerate; the barriers at the entrance to these regions open the door to a suspended dimension—one that can, however, be measured by the tides and by the sea’s encroachment. The passage of time here is more aligned with geological and natural rhythms than with the accelerated progression typical of large urban centers. The locals, moving with unhurried steps and constantly anticipating what might come, embody this dynamic perfectly, forging an unbreakable bond between people and place.

“We ourselves are part of the landscape; we live our cycle in tandem with it, and vice versa.”

Land Loss: The Collision Between Human and Geological Time

In Land Loss, flowers appear as a recurring motif; their fragility and their brief foothold on earth before withering away mirror, according to Miechowski, the choice made by those who keep living here despite the precarious fate of their surroundings—an embrace of the natural cycle of appearing and disappearing.

The series of portraits included in the project reflects on this tension. Through long conversations, Miechowski uncovers two opposing outlooks among local residents: on the one hand, those who ask why this is happening and why no one (particularly the authorities) is taking effective action to prevent it; on the other, those who fully accept the harsh reality of these lands, inhabited by the same families for generations. Even the younger people in these portraits appear calm—or perhaps more indifferent—in the face of what they cannot control. These attitudes, which seem at odds with the speed and violence of the land’s transformation, are documented precisely at the moment when two different temporal scales overlap: the human one, and the geographic one defined by the tides and erosions that have always sculpted the English coast. The portraits in Land Loss capture the juncture at which these two timeframes collide.

Another recurring element in Miechowski’s photographs is the home, shown both from the inside—revealing fractures, shifts, and precarious foundations—and from the outside, viewed from afar. Amid a demanding landscape (on the slope of a cliff, on already eroded terrain, barely 200 meters from the sea), the house represents a human desire for control, as well as a fascination with nature’s forces. Wherever these four walls stand, they preserve a sense of security and solidity.

Land Loss: A Meditation on Loss and Climate Change

Miechowski’s intention is for Land Loss to remain in a state of reflective suspension between fear of unstoppable geological forces and the solace found in accepting this vulnerability. In this sense, the project becomes a meditation on loss at both a small and large scale: on the small scale, the sea carries off personal possessions, damaging homes and uprooting lives; on the large scale, coastal erosion is reshaping our planet by obliterating segments of land at an alarming rate (on average, two meters of coastline per year). Miechowski’s landscapes resemble otherworldly vistas—the arid soil, the strange shapes of the terrain, and a sky tinged with yellowish gas trails—reminding us that what is happening here on Britain’s southern shores is only one of the many consequences of climate change. By focusing on these communities at the edge of the land, Miechowski offers an indirect yet powerful narrative on humanity’s impact on the environment.

Max Miechowski

Max Miechowski (b. 1989) is a British photographer based in London. He focuses on long-term projects, especially portrait series, exploring themes of connection and community and examining the relationships between people and places. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions, including those at the National Portrait Gallery in London; BASE Milano in Milan; Copeland Gallery in London; Galerie Joseph at Paris Photo in Paris; and ThePrintSpace in London. His work has been featured in various publications, among them The Guardian, The New York Times, It’s Nice That, M Magazine, British Journal of Photography, and the Financial Times.

Claudia Bigongiari