Almost everywhere I walk in London, shops and businesses seem to be going bust at an alarming rate. On the high streets of my immediate neighbourhoods I have witnessed premises changing hands half a dozen times within a few years, and each time the hopeful new owners embark on substantial refurbishment work. It is during these that, for reasons unknown, windows get whitewashed or covered with plastic sheeting. The fact that this practice makes it difficult, if not impossible, to see what is going on behind them, invariably piques my curiosity, given the role of the ‘photographer as voyeur’. Over time, my obsession and preoccupation with this subject matter has resulted in two long-term series: Agent Cloud and The Plastic Negative.