Smiling Faces or Stony Faces at Port Eynon

Posted on 25/10/201624/10/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week at Port Eynon with the Taste of Gower walkers revealed some smiling faces . . . or perhaps I should say stony faces!

Looking directly into the light on from the beach at Port Eynon produced a smile on my own face. We are told not to face into the sun when taking photos because the light will be behind the subject and so they will appear as a silhouette. But if the subject is the light itself and the effect of being dazzled by it, then go for it (not directly at the the sun of course – that can be dangerous).

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My Walk this Week – Port Eynon

Posted on 24/10/201622/10/2016 by Alastair

My walk this week is from the last Taste of Gower outing to Port Eynon on the Gower Peninsula.It was a bright day with a bit of a breeze as can be heard on the sound clips I’ll be posting. We gathered at the Captain’s Table as a starting point for the walk and I enjoyed seeing the late display of wildflowers as we approached the beach to amble, stride or march along the sand towards Horton.

We had all come prepared for changeable weather but were lucky to keep the sunshine for almost the whole of the walk. We weren’t the only ones enjoying it either!

The next ToG walk will be this Friday at Rhossili – details here.

A Sense of Place – Reviewing the Walk

Posted on 23/10/201618/10/2016 by Alastair

One of the main things I try to do with “My Walk this Week” is to give a sense of the place I have been walking. Usually the inclusion of soundscapes helps to provide this (I hope), but I do not always do any field recoding. The advice given to me prior to our day out in Edinburgh was to simply try and get a sense of the place. This we did so far as we were able within the time available and it was much enjoyed.

The Helix, which we visited on the way home to see the Kelpies, was also worth the extra mileage. I think that this final image of their huge heads appearing as if from the ground begins to give a sense of a place where you are forced to reassess your surroundings due to the unfamiliar scale of a familiar creature.

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No Excuses – Photography and Memory

Posted on 22/10/201618/10/2016 by Alastair

I have posted a total of 14 images of The Kelpies as part of my walk this week and that may well be too many for most of you. However, I have reviewed them sequentially on a number of occasions in posting to this blog and found that they serve me with a good memory. There are aspects of our visit to The Helix, specifically to see these sculptural installations in the Scottish landscape, that I am pleased to have enhanced by the images. The fall of changing light as the sun began to set, the details of pattern and reflection in the structures and a hint at the true scale of the work in relation to myself and the surrounding landscape.

So for those who read these posts as well as those who only look at the images, I make no excuses for the number of photos of these magnificent horses and recommend that if you get the chance, they are worth a visit.

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The Kelpies – keeping an eye on the details

Posted on 21/10/201618/10/2016 by Alastair

Still at The Helix to see The Kelpies on my walk this week, I have been looking at some details of these metal equine structures in the Scottish landscape. The setting sun was good to me!

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Horses in the Landscape – The Kelpies

Posted on 20/10/201618/10/2016 by Alastair

Returning from my walk this week as a day trip to Edinburgh, we took a slightly round about route and visited The Helix at Falkirk to see The Kelpies. I had known about this wonderful installation but wanted to see it for myself. I have done my best with the photos below but like all the other images available online, they cannot do justice to the real thing.

The Kelpies, The Helix Park, Falkirk

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Up and Down in Edinburgh

Posted on 19/10/201618/10/2016 by Alastair

Before my walk this week on a planned day out in Edinburgh, I asked my uncle what might be the best thing to go see and he answered “Just go and see the place itself – it is all on different levels and that is one of it’s main attractions as a city“.

Water of Leith

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Art in Edinburgh – Modern One

Posted on 18/10/201611/10/2016 by Alastair

At the entrance to the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art – Modern 1, we were met by this figure emerging from the pavement! This work is by Anthony Gormley and although one of the main exhibitions in gallery at the time was by Bridget Riley, as with Modern 2, there were other interesting things to be seen as well, including the building and its grounds.

Both Modern 1 and Modern 2 have mural projects in their stairwells – in Modern 1 it is a Douglas Gordan piece which lists all the people he could remember ever having met. The list stretches from the ground floor to the roof and looking over the banister gave me quite a woozy feeling.

We were lucky with the weather on our visit to Edinburgh and the light played a part in the art of this building just as it did in Modern 2.