Starting in September 2005, I will try to show a new photograph every week.
Most of these will be taken on a new toy, an Olympus Stylus Verve, although the
old non-digital kit still gets an occasional outing. The subject matter should
be many and varied and if nothing has sprung to view that week, another entry in
the Crosses in front of Churches series is always a good fallback.
The spark for this idea was a memory of the book Nowhere in Particular
by Jonathan Miller. Dr M. is a particular hero of mine, a Renaissance Man, where
I am a Renaissance Dilettante (I once owned the domain RenaissanceDilettante.com but let it
lapse), I enjoy almost everything he does. I was not particularly impressed by
the book when it first came out, but the notion has grown on me and I have ordered a
copy from Alibris.
[Later] Jolly good it is too. Miller describes the contents, borrowing a
phrase from Turner, as 'pictures of bits'. In addition to the images, there are
also snippets from his jottings over the years: one of my favourites is,
Traces
The authority of a photograph has something to do with the fact that its
appearance is directly caused by whatever it happens to be a picture of, so that
as Susan Sontag says, the faintest and most blurred snapshot of Shakespeare
would be more interesting than a portrait by Holbein. I can still recall the
delightful shock of seeing the indentation of Michaelangelo's hand in what was
once the wet, yielding plaster of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. More interesting
than his painting of the hand of God.
The pictures started on the week ending 24th September 2005 and (noted
January 2008) failed almost completely in the attempt to produce one per week,
but now that I have retired, might pick up somewhat.
Another extensive break until January 2008,
then two delightfully pointless signs spotted in one day.
Firstly at Eltham post Office, and presumably deriving from
disability legislation, but here taken to lengths of futile absurdity a
sign, 'Customers who need assistance should ask a member of staff for help.'
Pointless Sign 1, January 2008
If anything, even more futile, later at
Charing Cross station, from South East Trains 'Please check timetable for
services'.
Pointless Sign 2, January 2008
There's been something of an hiatus in
delivering the snaps, but here's another quaint cultural curiosity from
Newport, Gwent, a window from the Sun Catchers tanning salon.
No need to shower, taken June 2006, added to site August 2006
Another new series, Toilets in Famous
Places. A modest start with Regent's College, Regent's Park, London. The
detail shows the only graffiti I could see there, though I did not check the
cubicles.
Regent's College gents, February 2006
From Tesco's, Newport, a snap called
Welsh Lesson. Pickles and Sauces becomes Picl a Saws: the lesson seems
to be that clinging to the Welsh tongue is a rather silly and pointless
affectation. This on a Sony Ericsson W800i.
Welsh Lesson, February 2006
Still struggling with the technology. Here's
another grave from Bexley.
Angel, Bexleyheath
Cemetery, January 2006
I don't know why, but when I paste the
images, they take on a checkerboard overlay. I'll learn how to fix this in
due course and then recopy the images. Thanks to Peter Aitken for the fix.
From
Bexleyheath Cemetery, Grave Danger, December 2005
Another new series this week, roadside
shrines. This means something different in England to, for example, France
and Greece where the religious varieties are commonplace. The English
version concentrates on fatal road accidents where 'floral tributes'
accumulate after the event and, in the particularly tragic cases, a
permanent memorial is sometimes installed.
Two
local images today, neither requiring further explanation. The second is
normally extravagantly flowered, but there were none there today. I will add
a wider view in the future.
Eltham Memorial 1 and 2, November 2005
The first of the graven images, this week,
from St Lawrence's Roman Catholic Church, Sidcup, Kent
St. Lawrence's, Sidcup, November 2005
I did make it to Newport's Transporter
Bridge this weekend, but not until after dark and so the opportunities were
limited. This is the control room. I hope to return in daylight later this
year.
I first photographed this a few years ago.
Back in Cotgrave this weekend and on the lookout for this week's image, it
was the obvious candidate.
Virginia Creeper,
Cotgrave, October 2005
A Warhol homage. A
quaintly named tin of broad beans. There is also a new
Panorama, Fountains.
Foul Medames, October 2005.
While most of the images will be taken in
the week they are added to the page, I will make some exceptions and dive
into my archive. Here's one from our summer holiday, 2005, in Norfolk. We
visited Norwich Cathedral where there was a display of models of the
cathedral by Year 3, Norwich Lower School. There are some remarkably
talented students in this group and several striking models in denim, pasta
and toilet rolls, but the best
for me was constructed using wine bottles and brown tape. It captures simply
the shape of the building, hints at the substance of communion, references
the excesses of the clergy in times past and, in its rudimentary
constructional values, encapsulates the importance and relevance of the
church to modern life. There is also a panorama of the whole exhibition on
the linked page.
Norwich Cathedral in Bottles,
August 2005
Four bonnet chillis from the greenhouse -
part of a record crop this year.
Four Bonnets,
October 2005
Visiting Newport last weekend, the intention
was to take a snap of the Transporter Bridge, but that will have to wait.
Instead, sunset over Twmbarlwm (taken from the garden of the house where I
was born).
Sunset, Twmbalum, October 2005
A strange sign in Plumstead advertising MOTs
While You Wait and featuring a badly drawn lady.
Garage Sign, Plumstead, October 2005
The opening image is an appropriate nod in
the direction of Dr. M. I object to graffiti less than most people and
particularly admire the precision of the multiple overlays here which have
been carefully restricted to the borders of the warning sign.
Note 29th October, 2005, the sign has now been pinched.
