West of the Sun

by tobydeveson in London, England, United Kingdom

We did it

On 14th November 2016 we successfully raised £1,205 with 27 supporters in 56 days

West of the Sun - raising money to take these stunning B&W landscape photographs towards their final conclusion: The publication of a book

by tobydeveson in London, England, United Kingdom

Creative & Arts

“But what is there, west of the sun?” I asked.

She shook her head again. “I don’t know. Maybe nothing. Or maybe something”.

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Hi I'm Toby Deveson. Welcome to my crowdfunding campaign, created to take my principal photographic project - West of the Sun - towards the final goal of a book and international touring exhibition.

This campaign will raise money for a major London exhibition, and the design and layout of the book - as well as laying the foundations for the future completion of the project.

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My early work - using all manner of cameras from my father’s Nikon F3 to old Victorian box cameras - reflected my passion for the documentary and reportage images by photographers like Cartier Bresson, Koudelka and Salgado. By 1994 I had started noticing more and more landscapes creeping into my work. By 1997 I had held my first landscape exhibition.

The concept "West of the Sun" came to me about ten years ago whilst reading South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami. It seemed to fit what I strived for in my work perfectly, bringing hints of another world - just out of reach - beyond the horizon and to the west of the sun.

By never cropping my images and by always using the same camera, lens and film, I find I am removing decisions and distractions from around me, allowing me to concentrate on what matters - my surroundings and my attempts to create that perfect image. Because to me that moment that you release the shutter is what photography is all about - that is the moment in which you must get it right. Everything that comes afterwards, the developing, printing and exhibiting is, of course crucial, but unless you get that first bit right, everything that follows becomes nothing more than papering over the cracks.

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So what exactly is this crowdfunding for and where will it take West of the Sun?

This campaign will culminate in an exhbition that will take place at the wonderful Signet Contemporary Art gallery on the vibrant Kings Road in Chelsea, London. Part of the funds raised will pay for this wonderful space, a three floor gallery that will display around 40 framed images.

In addition, I will also start work on the layout and design of the book that will become West of the Sun.

Rather than produce a standard mock up, the designer and I will turn it into a stunning and unique limited edition sample for supporters…a first edition work in progress, if you like, that will eventually be transformed into the final book. This will be a hybrid of a classic coffee table photography book and a scrapbook of moments from my journeys in pursuit of that world to the west of the sun. The photographs will feature alongside my thoughts, musings and blogs about my various trips, alongside quotes that have fuelled the ideas. The crowdfunding will also help pay for the designer's time.

Key to all this is my collaboration with Predella House. They are a fantastic group of dynamic, motivated and highly experience people, led by Katrina Aleksa, who have taken the project under their wings. Together we are making plans to take West of the Sun to completion - an international touring exhibition and the printing and publication of the final book. So finally, the funds from this campaign will help pay to take this collaboration into the future, and allow the dream to become a reality.

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Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£5 or more

£5 Reward

Thank You & Your Name in the Book Your name will be in print on the dedications page of the limited edition book created exclusively for this campaign.

£10 or more

£10 Reward

Private View invitation +Thank you & your name in the book Come along to the private view at the beautiful Signet Contemporary Art Gallery in the heart of Chelsea in London on the 17th?? of November for drinks and of course to see 'West of the Sun' in the flesh. A perfect opportunity to meet the artist and see the exhibition and work your contribution has helped create.

£20 or more

£20 Reward

Ten Loose Postcards Plus previous rewards: - Private View invitation - Thank you & your name in the book Receive ten loose postcards from the 'West of the Sun' series. The postcards are printed on high quality 400gsm matt paper with a silk finish.

£40 or more

£40 Reward

A box set of 30 postcards with concertina poster + Private View invitation + Thank you & your name in the book A beautiful presentation box set of thirty postcards from the West of the Sun series. The postcards come in a sturdy black box, embossed with the words “West of the Sun” on the cover. Inside is a fold out concertina poster designed by Jim Shannon, reminiscent of the sleeve notes and posters that came with vinyl LPs. The concertina contains essays about and by Toby, vignettes from his travels, thoughts on his work and technical details about the equipment he uses. The postcards themselves are printed on high quality 400gsm matt paper with a silk finish.

£120 or more

3 of 30 claimed

£120 Reward

A digitally produced Signed Print + A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster + Private View invitation + Thank you & your name in the book A digitally produced and signed print of one of the images from the 'West of the Sun' series. It will be printed in A2 (420mm x 594mm or 16.5 inches x 23.4 inches). The image is scanned from one of the original darkroom prints by the artist and is printed onto 190 gsm paper with a satin finish.

£250 or more

1 of 5 claimed

£250 Reward

Signed Limited Edition Book Plus previous rewards: - Digital Signed Print + A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster + Private View invitation + Thank you & your name in the book The book will be limited to a run of 7. Five are available in this category and two in the £600 reward. Whilst the primary function of this book will be as a mock up for the photographer, designer and printers, this edition will stand up as complete work of art in its own right. This edition of the book will explore various possibilities in design and layout that may or may not be continued into the final edition. As such it should be seen as a work in progress, a sort of sketch book for the finished product. It may contain Lorem Ipsum instead of some of the text and between this edition and the next, the photographer intends to take many more photographs for inclusion in the final book. It will be signed by the photographer and designer and in an edition of 7. Five are available with this reward bracket and two in the £600 bracket.

£400 or more

0 of 3 claimed

£400 Reward

A Days Experience Taking Landscape Photographs With the Artist Plus previous rewards: - Private View invitation - Thank you & your name in the book - A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster Spend the day in a location convenient to both you and the artist taking landscape photographs together. Toby will use this opportunity to give you an insight into the way he works, giving you advice and pointers along the way. This is a unique opportunity to work alongside someone who has taken thousands of landscapes photographs over the course of the last 25+ years, to ask questions and be taught tricks of the trade with no more than two other people - depending on how many people buy this reward.

£500 or more

0 of 5 claimed

£500 Reward

Limited Edition Print (16x20 inches) Plus previous rewards: - A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster - Private View invitation - Thank you & your name in the book Receive one of Toby's stunning limited edition 16x20 darkroom prints. All prints are printed by the photographer in his darkroom, each taking up to 4 hours. This size print will normally sell for £600, but with permission from the galleries Toby works with, he is offering this fantastic deal unique to the crowdfunding campaign. Photographs are taken using Kodak T-Max 400 and an old Nikkormat with a 24mm lens. The film is then developed using Kodak HC-110 with the images printed onto Foma 532 Nature paper using Agfa Neutol WA developer.

£600 or more

0 of 2 claimed

£600 Reward

A Signed Limited Edition Book Plus previous rewards: - Limited Edition Print (16x20 inches) - A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster - Private View invitation - Thank you & your name in the book This reward is the same as the £500 reward but with a copy of the book included. The book will be limited to a run of 7. Two are available in this category and five in the £250 reward. Whilst the primary function of this book will be as a mock up for the photographer, designer and printers, this edition will stand up as complete work of art in its own right. This edition of the book will explore various possibilities in design and layout that may or may not be continued into the final edition. As such it should be seen as a work in progress, a sort of sketch book for the finished product. It may contain Lorem Ipsum instead of some of the text and between this edition and the next, the photographer intends to take many more photographs for inclusion in the final book. It will be signed by the photographer and designer and in an edition of 5. Also Receive one of Toby's stunning limited edition 16x20 darkroom prints. All prints are printed by the photographer in his darkroom, each taking up to 4 hours. This size print will normally sell for £600, but with permission from the galleries Toby works with, he is offering this fantastic deal unique to the crowdfunding campaign. Photographs are taken using Kodak T-Max 400 and an old Nikkormat with a 24mm lens. The film is then developed using Kodak HC-110 with the images printed onto Foma 532 Nature paper using Agfa Neutol WA developer.

£800 or more

0 of 3 claimed

£800 Reward

A Day in the Darkroom Experience, Watching the Artist Print your Print Plus previous rewards: - Limited Edition Print (16x20 inches) - Signed limited edition book - A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster - Private View invitation - Thank you & your name in the book Spend the day in the darkroom with the photographer watching him print the photograph you have bought. Use the opportunity to quiz him about his darkroom techniques as well as getting a unique opportunity to view negatives and contact sheets, and learn about the art of darkroom printing. If you are a photographer and have some exposed negatives, you can spend some time printing one of your own images under Toby’s direct supervision. If the print dries in time you will be able to take it home with you, if not it will be delivered to you the next day.

£1,000 or more

0 of 1 claimed

£1,000 Reward

A Unique one-off Exclusive Print Plus previous rewards: - Private View invitation - Thank you & your name in the book - A box set of 30 postcards and concertina poster This is a truly unique reward. All images printed by the photographer for the ‘West of the Sun’ series are printed in editions of 20. Exclusively for this crowdfunding campaign the artist has agreed to print this image as an edition of one. This image will never be sold again as a darkroom print. The only other copy printed from this negative will belong to the photographer. The photographer has retained the right to include it in the book and to exhibit his own personal un-numbered copy should he choose to.

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