Reclaiming the Urban Landscape: Daniela White's Exploration of Change and Belonging 

In this exclusive interview with Cluster, photographer Daniela White delves into her journey as an observer and artist in a constantly shifting urban landscape. Rooted in a lifelong relationship with London, White’s work captures the evolving architecture and spaces that define modern cities.

Through her lens, she navigates the tension between awe-inspiring forms and the human experience, finding new meaning in the built environment. By embracing abstraction, colour, and her background in fine arts, White’s images transform familiar cityscapes into thought-provoking visual experiences, inviting us to reconsider how we connect with the places we call home.

Hi Daniela! How do you approach walking through urban spaces when you’re seeking inspiration? Is there a particular mindset or routine you adopt when capturing the built environment?

Amazement, delight and concern flash through my mind. Change and “the new” in the urban environment are at the heart of what engages me – the essence of contemporary architecture.  Rather than seeking inspiration, I am more of an observer, a flaneur, looking at what is happening around me and feeling compelled to record what I see. Some buildings, in the City for instance, evoke a sense of the sublime – awe and fear. Their scale is dominant and speaks of wealth, ambition and power, which diminishes the importance of the human form; but the aesthetic can be exciting and captivating.  I am seduced by the forms, the play of light and the physical reality.  I work without preconceived ideas, walking around looking up and gazing at everything.  I look for interesting compositions, colour combinations, structures, and the spaces in which they are created and exist.  Then, in post-production, I distil the elements that attracted me to capture the scenes, into more personal, abstract forms.  Playfulness is important to me.  I am conscious of avoiding simply representing  others’ creative, architectural work, and to use this as a starting point to create something of my own.

What does "taking ownership of the world" through your photography mean to you? How does this manifest in your creative process or the themes you explore?

Having lived all my adult life in London, it is home. I know it well, love it and feel I belong to it, and it belongs to me. Consequently, when large areas became redeveloped, it felt like a kind of alienation. My home was changing around me from day to day. It was rather like exploring a new city, which can be quite exciting, if a little disconcerting.

On a personal level, I (like many in the community) am passive, with no voice in the process, which belongs to others. However, through taking photographs and engaging with this landscape, in much the same way that landscape artists work, I create an intimacy with the place, and can be an active part of its character. I feel as though I have taken ownership back and I hope others can enjoy the experience too. After all, the human experience of ‘home’ has changed radically from the past. 

How do you hope your audience will engage with your work? Is there a particular feeling or thought you aim to evoke in those who view your photographs?

I hope to bring enjoyment to my audience and a pleasant sense of novelty at seeing the familiar in unfamiliar ways, through my eyes. This sparks a greater awareness as to what is around in the urban scene and potentially questioning the current forms of architecture and how they impact the quality of city life.