This month we welcomed Peter Bennett, senior lecturer and course leader in BA Photography at the University of West London, back to Crossing Lines. Peter showed images from A4/M4 Heading West, a project which explores the route of the major transport artery that runs through the borough of Hounslow. By presenting a sequence of images, largely devoid of traffic, the photographs form a close-up examination of the architectural structures, car show rooms, road signage and corporate offices, as well as the parkland and natural habitat that line the way.

Previous presentations to Crossing Lines this year had also focussed on the urban highway, car infrastructure and photography from the car, so the discussion turned to why it is that photographers find cars, roads and routes so compelling as source material.

Six months on, and A4/M4 Heading West was screened at the Art Deco Gillette Factory in Hounslow in June 2025, as part of the London Festival of Architecture. The iconic venue, was undergoing a transformation into a state-of-the-art film and TV production hub, which enabled the series to be seen on a 150 ft by 30 ft screen. You can see an image of how this looked and two other photos from the series.