State of the Nation is a documentary project that explores contemporary Britain through the lens of its empty shopfronts. Photographed from the outside looking in, these once-active commercial spaces now sit quiet and abandoned—symbols of economic shifts, social dislocation, and the slow retreat of the local high street. More than just vacancy; these images reflect the hollowing out of communal life and the everyday stories that once filled these properties.
The project’s title carries a dual meaning: a nod to political discourse, and a literal depiction of the physical and emotional landscapes of the country. Through these windows, we glimpse not only interiors but the state of a nation in transition, its vulnerabilities, silences, and the imprint of what used to be. This is a portrait not of people, but of the spaces they’ve left behind and of the hard questions those spaces now ask us.