I plan to photograph various well-known locations, including Little Venice, Paddington Basin, St Pancras Canal, City Road Basin, Hackney Canal, Kingsland Basin, Limehouse Cut, the River Lee Navigation, the Hertford Union Canal, Brentford Gauging Lock, South Dock, and Uxbridge Grand Union Canal. These sites represent the diverse geography and atmosphere of London’s canal network.

My technical approach will be documentary-based. I will use my hand-hold Leica camera and natural light, without any additional equipment I will also research the geographical and historical background of the canals and study other photographers who have worked on similar subjects, such as David Campany, Gill Shaw, Joe Dixey, Julian Walter, and Trevor Sherwin. Additionally, I have been inspired by canal-themed oil paintings and by reading The British Industrial Canal: Reading the Waterways from the Eighteenth Century to the Anthropocene from my university library.

My audience may include people who are interested in the London canal system, artists, or visitors seeking to understand life on the water. The inspiration for this project also comes from personal experience. As a Chinese international student living in the UK, I often walk along the canals with my mother on weekends. These walks allow me to experience a peaceful connection with nature and to communicate with canal boat residents. In contrast, canals in China serve different historical and social purposes, often used for industrial transportation, political unification, and ecological tourism. The comparison between British and Chinese canals gives my project a cross-cultural perspective.