Author Archives: Alastair

Back On the Buses

Posted on by

Due to my car breaking down recently (on top of a Welsh mountain), I found myself having to use buses to get to work for the first time in – well, I can’t think how long.

These photos and sounds may be familiar to those who use buses all the time, but for me, I came to the experience with a new ear and eye. The first bus I took seemed a bit of rickety old thing but this just made for a fascinating series of rattles, squeaks, creaks and bangs to say nothing of the changing noise of the engine and the hiss of doors.

These were recorded the day before World Listening Day!

Bus en route to Gowerton

Standing at bus stop Pontlliw

 

 

Josef Herman Schools Award 2014 Exhibition

Posted on by

The Josef Herman Schools Award is an annual project hosted by the Josef Herman Art Foundation Cymru which employs different artists each year to work with four South Wales primary schools. This year the Foundation is working with the Tate on a two-year project called Mining Josef Herman; part of a Transforming Tate Britain: Archives and Access programme.

The children enjoyed a promenade performance by Lighthouse Theatre followed by a series of drawing workshops with me in school and in Ystradgynlais, where Herman lived for 11 years. We worked with iPads and traditional drawing materials.

The children researched selected works by Herman provided by the Tate Gallery, London, and made presentations which were recorded on iPads. The exhibition features a selection of their drawing on paper and two TV screens showing both their presentations and animations of the iPad drawings they produced. The exhibition is at The Welfare in Ystradgynlais and will continue until mid September.

Josef Herman schools award exhibition

Josef Herman schools award exhibition

Josef Herman schools award exhibition

Josef Herman schools award exhibition

Josef Herman schools award exhibition

Josef Herman project logos

Light, Shade and Colour

Posted on by

It was the shadow of the stamens on the petals that I really like about these shots of another beautiful flower from Swansea’s roadside verges. I like the contrast in the first image and the subtlety of the same shadow in more muted sunlight in the second.

Swansea roadside flowers

Swansea roadside flowers

Roadside Wildflower Biodiversity

Posted on by

Can wild flower varieties be called wild flowers if they have been planted by man?

In the last couple of years Swansea has been allowing various roadside verges and common areas of land to grow unhindered by grass cutting and has thrown a range wild flower seeds into the mix with a view to promoting biodiversity (and perhaps saving some money at the same time).

The results have been widely popular and most people have thoroughly enjoyed seeing these jewels by the roadside. The birds and the bees like it too, I suspect!

Roadside wildflowers

 

Roadside wildflowers

Roadside wildflowers

Cat in the Garden

Posted on by

This may be a very pretty cat, but remembering the dead baby blackbird I found in the garden a few days ago,  is he the culprit? Either way, he was enjoying the sun until he spotted me!

Cat

Cat

Cats whiskers