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Secret Cities Aberdeen: Photography series explores Scottish landscapes for Spectra Festival of Light

This collection of photography, Secret Cities Aberdeen, was shot by Andrew Brooks as part of the Spectra Festival of Light. Working alongside writer Adelle Stripe, Brooks explored and photographed some of the many fascinating places in Aberdeen.

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A lit lighthouse with green copper roof stands on a moss-covered stone pier extending into grey water under overcast skies, with distant shore and buildings visible across the water

From crypts beneath Masonic Temples and the Winter Gardens at night, to clock towers and forgotten cemeteries, the images sit alongside Adelle's writing to tell the stories of Aberdeen's buildings.

Andrew explains, "Over the last four months I have been working on my latest exhibition, Secret Cities Aberdeen. The project was commissioned by Curated Place for Spectra Festival. It is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and is part of the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology."

You can check out a selection of the photographs below, featuring the clock face of the Town House tower, amongst the scaffolding and repair work with the light of the docks beyond, alongside the documentation of an archaeological dig beneath St Nicholas Kirk, in the centre of the city. Andrew adds, "The dig uncovered old graves and we could see human bones amongst the stones of the building."

To see more from the Secret Cities series, visit andrewbrooksphotography.com. The work will also be showing as part of the Granite Noir Festival in Aberdeen, until 26 of February.

All images courtesy of Andrew Brooks

Ornate circular clock face with zodiac symbols and detailed astronomical design mounted in wooden frame within black display case
Interior of a museum display room with glass cabinets, shelving units containing preserved specimens and artefacts, mounted animal remains from the ceiling, and informational panels on the walls
Rusted industrial containers and discarded metal structures reflected in a puddle on a muddy ground at sunrise or sunset
Rusted industrial chains and machinery silhouetted against blue sky, with scaffolding and a wooden structure visible in the background
Aberdeen's rooftops at dusk, with the Town House tower and Victorian buildings silhouetted against a pink and purple sky
A still lake reflects bare and evergreen trees lining the banks, with sunlight breaking through mist on the left and blue sky above
Interior of a chapel with wooden pews facing a stained glass window, coffered ceiling with skylights and framed artworks on the walls
Derelict interior of a clock tower with three large circular clock faces set into stone walls, exposed wooden ceiling beams and a central support column
Archaeological dig beneath St Nicholas Kirk in Aberdeen, revealing exposed earth and stone foundations under a glass ceiling with scaffolding and artificial lighting
Scottish flag flying above wet tarmac at dusk with Aberdeen's illuminated harbour and industrial skyline beyond under grey skies
View along the interior scaffolding and metalwork of Aberdeen's Town House clock tower with the illuminated city and docks visible beyond
Overgrown cemetery with wooden fences in the foreground, rows of headstones, apartment buildings and city skyline beyond, sunset sky with clouds above
Stone archway atop a historic building in Aberdeen, silhouetted against the sky with a city landscape visible beyond
Illuminated greenhouse interior with tall cacti and tropical plants lining a curved pathway beneath a geometric glass roof glowing purple at dusk
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