A little way up Cambridge St. in Norwich are two rows of ‘lock-up’ garages opposing each other. I noticed how each garage had a different door clasp latch. To make things more interesting (visually…) was that they had every type of padlock imaginable. I photographed the best examples. For the background, I sampled the colours from the chosen locks and ‘barcoded’ the results individually. I was amazed by the vast array of colours the were inherent to the locks.
Look Both Ways
There has been a large building development near the crossroads, at the end of Dereham Rd. called St. Benedict’s Gate. It is now complete, and is a big student accommodation complex. A new zebra crossing has been established, for bikes and pedestrians, to service the said blocks of flats. I took a few shots of the pristine markings and collaged them, as you can see. I incorporated the cutlery drainer, (same one, from three different angles) which I had photographed around the same time. I liked the object because I could cut out the spaces to reveal the background. ‘Look Both Ways’ is of course, stencilled with the markings, for the benefit of the user.
Windpower
If you walk south, as far as possible on Yarmouth beach, you will see the two towers for the construction of wind turbines. Cordoned off and up on the embankment are the turbine bodies themselves, laid flat. What you see are the bases with the connecting rods protruding and protected with the green plastic sheaths. I photographed them through the gap in the wire fence. The deck chairs were on the beach, discarded and being blown by the wind, as you see them. I isolated them from the sand they were lying on. Not far away was a guy flying a kite….Snap! I put them together and turned the deckchairs accordingly, and the title and theme was realised!
Order And Chaos
I was drawn to the beautifully lit image of the section of the Yarmouth Marketplace you can see. It has been opened recently, and was designed by Hudson Architects of Norwich. The right side of the original photograph led on to the main passageway. I have broadened and substituted the space to include the ‘Chaos’. This comprises of a view near the Lascaris Wharf in Valletta, and a building in Marsalforn, in Gozo. I liked the confusion of wire and shadow on the corner of the house. I have distorted the two components and added two filters for effect. The ‘Order’ was given a softening filter.
Step And Tap
I started this picture by co-joining the two sets of steps. One set descending and the other ascending, which I thought would present an interesting image. The staggered walkway at the top (which I distorted) were in Valletta, Malta. I think they are the Sqaq Ix-Xatt 3, coming down to the Xatt I Imsida. The bottom set is at Tigne Point, descending to Silema Creek. That’s where I got stuck, because the result wasn’t that inspiring. I searched around for something to enliven the scene. Eventually I found the photo of a trumpet, which was in the window of an antique/curio shop on Church Street in Sheringham. It seemed to fit perfectly. The young woman was originally on the bottom step, on the left hand side. I enlarged her and brought her further up the steps to mirror the trumpet finger buttons . I admit the picture isn’t great, but I was happy to let it go after a long process of chopping and changing, and wanting to achieve something I couldn’t quite realise.
Miracle In The Basement
The basement in this scene is the underground storage building at the St. Elmo Fort. It is part of the National War Museum in Valletta, Malta. I liked the steps leading down with the pool of light, and the utilitarian bulkhead wall light. I stretched the dark room to the left. In this space I added the window in disrepair and the stone blocks. The window came from a military building at the now de-commissioned Fort Manoel on Manoel Island, a relic from WW2. The blocks and wooden sculptures were in the ‘front garden’ of a house on Xatt I Imsada, a street on the way into Valletta centre. The statue of Santa Marija is in the Cathedral Of The Assumption, in Victoria, Gozo. I thought the processional statue is so beautiful in its residence and background, situated in its own placement. It was made in Rome at the Fabbrica Di Statue Reliligiose Of Francesco Rosa, in 1897. I intentionally fitted the statue in front of the wall light to give the halo effect, and stretched it to fit the perspective.
Red 2
I was visiting the Cathedral Of The Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary, in Victoria on Gozo, Malta. I was on the Cittadella Walkway which is the battlements of the cathedral fortress. Down below on another parapet were a group of tourists. They stood out because they were all wearing red baseball caps, presumably for the benefit of the tour organisers (I had to put a few caps on the heads of those incalcitrants who neglected to follow the rules). I liked the quirky scenario. They were looking at the town below. I have removed that part of the photo. I replaced it with the square parasols of the Cafe San Martino and a section of St. John’s Demi Bastion. As you can see (did you know, care, or notice ?) I have jigsawed the three components together and deliberately retained the small red parasol that was in amongst the larger grey ones. I added the ‘grass’ to overlay building work and customers in the cafe. I applied a filter to give the impression of the baking heat I experienced on that day.
Roof Inspection
This is the roof of Brighton Railway Station. I took quite a few shots, and settled for this one. I had previously taken some photographs of the magnifying glass, held at different angles, in my bedroom against the net curtains, and on the windowsill (where else?). As usual I connected the two aspects after experimenting with a few ideas. The view through the lens is of course, a copy of that part of the image behind the magnifyers frame, distorted and blurred. Then it came down to arranging the looking glasses in a concerted and compositional interaction.
Sunbeams
I took some photographs through the fence, which was cordening off the new marketplace in Yarmouth. I have visited the site before and created two pictures (Fantastic Two and Fantastic Two Two). The building is still being constructed, hence the barrier to keep the public out. I liked the way the sun was streaming down through the skylight roof, and the shadows being presented. The support beams accentuated the busy composition and angles being splayed around. I eventually used two photos from different positions, and layered one on top of the other. I cut away diagonal strips to reveal the bottom layer, following the direction of the sunlight. I applied a shadow filter to give the image some drama. The title naturally followed. I love this picture…it’s so beautiful.
Hung With Intent
The picture started with a photo I took of a Funfair Swing Ride at the Royal Norfolk Show. I was going to substitute the people on the chained swings with something else (?). Then I placed the ride in a big marquee tent at the show. I liked the roof of the exhibition tent, which had sheep and goats being penned/displayed. The next stage was to perversely replace the riders with coat hangers ..are you keeping up so far?, this is where I got lost! I photographed a collection of different coat hangers. I decided to dispose of the funfair ride, and populate the magnificent tent with the coat hangers. I had to find and photograph MORE coat hangers zzzzzzzzz…..The picture took a long time to create, but I was pleased with the result.