An early birthday treat last week, went to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new arena tour of Jesus Christ Superstar in Cardiff. Preparatory work involved watching the original 1973 film, and listening to the album from the film (not the original 1970 release). Loudly. Fantastic music writing, odd time signatures, full rock soundscape, and emotive story-telling. […]
Jesus Christ Superstar on stage and in film Read More »
The most pressing issue in the photography of place is a site’s history, how it has been affected by time, by climate and by mankind. Landscape photography has become political, not necessarily in terms of environmental causes – although many photographers are directly concerned with such issues – but in terms of the meanings it
What’s in it for the landscape photographer? Read More »
The beauty of the place was infinite and heartbreaking. Emerson, in love with the landscape, overlooked nothing, from winter’s mists to summer’s fullness. Yet such opulence was beyond the scope of photography and, eventually realizing this, Emerson had to content himself with exquisite miniature pictures of frozen earth, mists and far horizons – winter landscape,
Emerson and the beauty of ‘Marsh Leaves’ Read More »
Muybridge: a 19th century, postmodern photographer. Comparing his work to that of his contemporary Carleton E. Watkins, Rebecca Solnit (with acknowledgement to Mark Klett’s remarks about the ‘composed’ modernism of Watkins’ photographs) writes: Muybridge, even when photographing almost exactly the same subjects, could not be more different. In his sensibility, the world is all but
Eadweard Muybridge reflections Read More »
A photographic image is true and false in equal measure. (Quote from Gerry Badger in The Genius of Photography, p.8). The earliest days of photography don’t bring any ideological foundation to its trajectory through history. The one thing you can’t do with a consideration of photography’s story is to call it The Story of Photography.
Back to the beginning with Fox Talbot Read More »
NOTEBOOK SPOTLIGHT: 6 Days of Uncreation The text that follows is an edited version of a presentation of my first year’s doctoral research, in which I discussed my photographic series 6 Days of Uncreation. This series of composite photography builds a fracturing picture of global habitats, earth as humankind has found and used it. It
A fractured natural theology Read More »
Storm, above, was a commission produced in 2008 for friends of mine. I produced a little text to go with it, which included the prayer from Jonah 2:1-7, and the following paragraph: This prayer illuminates the moment Jonah decided to stop running away from God, to turn and surrender to Him. This is also the
Questioning Jonah again Read More »
Here with this week’s work at a sewing machine and ironing board – my finished design and applique for Adam’s stole. The decorated scarf will be worn by the husband in question at his ordination this Saturday, Bristol Cathedral. It’s an odd time. I slightly feel like I’m celebrating the kidnapping of my husband by
Stole for husband Adam’s big day… Read More »
(This by way of a personal response to both Frances Spalding’s John Piper, Myfanwy Piper: Lives in Art (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009) and the exhibition John Piper and the Church at Dorchester Abbey, 21/04/12 – 10/06/12) Piper was a writer before he was an artist. His pre-war work (after a failed solicitor’s training, and
7 Reasons why I’m a John Piper fan Read More »
At the UWE Art-Design-Media degree and postgrad show, a mix of artistic practices on display makes for an inspiring trip out. There’s an abundance to see, too much if you want to watch all the films which pop up across all disciplines. However, I did sit down to 24 minutes of Jane Lee’s xxiv film.
Jane Lee at UWE MA show Read More »
