Before PoliNations opened in Birmingham, part of its story began in Scunthorpe, where one of the project’s vast tree structures was assembled off-site. Built on an industrial scale, the structure required space, height and technical precision to bring it to life. Long before it became part of the immersive public installation in Victoria Square, it existed as a feat of engineering — steel, form and craftsmanship taking shape in a very different setting.

As the official photographer for PoliNations, I travelled to Scunthorpe to document this stage of the build while the tree was under construction and nearing completion. Here, the focus shifted away from public interaction and towards process, scale and fabrication. I photographed the structure as it emerged within the industrial environment, capturing the relationship between the build team, the machinery and the immense form itself.

Working from multiple vantage points, including elevated views from a cherry picker, I was able to show both the monumentality and detail of the construction. The images reflect the technical complexity, teamwork and careful assembly behind the project, offering a different perspective on PoliNations — one rooted not in the finished installation, but in the making of it.