Detail of a photo from The Shoreham Project by Paul Thomas. Courtesy of Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.

A photography exhibition investigating the dilapidated site of cement works near Shoreham is on display at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery.

The Shoreham Project, which runs until June 30 2006, follows editorial photographer Paul Thomas’ attempts to piece together the history of the site, which ceased production in 1991.

Many personal belongings including hand written paper work, letters and clothing still lie strewn across the floors of the buildings.

“The project is a documentation of what is not present in the images as much as what is,” said Thomas.

“Knowing that nothing can withstand the test of time and that all will return to the earth, this body of work has a stronger poignancy in a world which seems to be evolving at an alarming rate,” he added.

Formerly a student at the University of Brighton, Thomas has also undertaken other projects overseas, including an ongoing body of work that depicts the struggles of AIDS orphans in Zambia, Southern Africa.