MIMA just blew me away!

Posted on 05/11/201205/11/2012 by Alastair

Last week I visited MIMA – Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art again. Every time it is a revelation! The main gallery space is fantastic and the exhibition this time was by Julian Stair and it blew me away. I could have stayed all day.

The exhibition is touring and if you get the chance, go see it. Better still, if you’re anywhere near Middlesbrough, go see it at MIMA 🙂 Here’s a taster.

Looking out from MIMA

Julian Stair – Quietus exhibition

Giving it Away

Posted on 02/11/201202/11/2012 by Alastair

Don’t worry, no plot spoilers here 🙂 Just a great StillWalk at it’s full length (5:32 mins) rather than the short clips you get on the website.

Autumn Lakeside Walk is now up on Vimeo. In fact, you’ll find others there as well including those from the Josef Herman Art Foundation residency project.

OK, it’s not entirely free – i.e. it’s only in standard definition and whilst it looks great, the StillWalks videos look fantastic in Full HD. If you want an HD version you’ll have to go to the website and pay all of £2.99 to download it or any of the growing collection . . . and of course you’ll have the advantage of not having to wait for the online version to buffer. You can even transfer them to your mobile device and watch them any time you like – anytime, anywhere.

from Autumn Lakeside Walk, Gnoll Park, Neath.

Just one more thing – StillWalks will be at the National Botanic Garden of Wales Christmas Gift Fair on 10th and 11th November with DVD Collections 1 and 2 plus printed images from selected StillWalks, (framed and unframed) as well as gift vouchers and cards.

Photos from StillWalks – Autumn

Posted on 31/10/201231/10/2012 by Alastair

It’s not always obvious that the images used in my StillWalks are from the named season but all photos, just as with the sound recordings are unique to the time and place of the walk.

from Abertawe Walk – Autumn

from Woodland River Walk

Images are available to purchase as prints from Photobox/StillWalks. If you would like to buy high or low resolution jpeg downloads, please visit the Prices page of StillWalks Equestrian for instructions and then return to the Photobox/StillWalks to identify the images you would like.

Neptune’s Audience

Posted on 22/10/201222/10/2012 by Alastair

Last Friday I went down to Blackpill in Swansea Bay to meet a group of people doing Nordic Walking and try it for the first time myself. I wanted to try this for a few months but my prompt to do so was as much to do with the StillWalks project, Sights and Sounds of the Countryside as my personal interest – the project still needs further funding and if anyone is interested in helping out with this, here is the crowd funding link – 7 days to go to the deadline for funding.

The walkers are a group organised through Mentro Allan and I wanted to meet them in order to make first contact with carers in the area. We would like the community group on the Sights and Sounds project to be made up of carers from rural wards in Swansea.

Neptune’s Audience! Arriving early in the bay and having brought my camera, I got a few shots off before others arrived. Here is the reason for the title of this blog post 🙂 Other photos can be seen on Flickr.

Neptune’s Audience

Caught on the Hop!

. . . and on the wing.

All’s Well in Ludlow

Posted on 19/10/201219/10/2012 by Alastair

Despite the tension beforehand, all went well with our Meet the Artists event last Friday at Ludlow Assembly Rooms. It was well attended in the evening and it was good to talk with everyone.

Not only that, we also had a very pleasant stay in Ludlow at The Mount guest house and awoke the next morning to another beautiful day.

The exhibition runs until 26th October so there is still time to visit. Exhibition pics some of Ludlow are below and more will be posted on Facebook over the next couple of weeks.

Finally, on another matter, please check out the StillWalks Crowd Funding pitch and help me help kids and adults enjoy “Sights and Sounds of the Countryside”.

StillWalks exhibition

Jean Duncan Paintings

Evening in Ludlow

Morning in Ludlow

Today’s the Day

Posted on 12/10/201212/10/2012 by Alastair

Meet the Artists at Ludlow Assembly Rooms this afternoon from 3.30 – 7.30 pm.

All are welcome, no charge, free wine and a chance to meet us, Alastair Duncan and Jean Duncan, and ask about our work. There is tapestry weaving, digital prints, painting on metal and canvas, photography, video and video interventions.

The show continues until 26th October and can be viewed during normal Ludlow Assembly Rooms opening hours which includes evenings.

Work from the show can be seen here.

Tenses 3

West 1 by Jean Duncan

Mumbles Promenade and Street Photography

Posted on 08/09/201208/09/2012 by Alastair

Some people get nervous, uncomfortable, even angry when they see a photographer taking shots in the street or other busy public place. However, as I walked along Mumbles Promenade at the start of the Gower Peninsula the other day, I not only had my camera but also my sound kit with its “dead cat” furry cover on the microphone windshield. It’s the dogs that take exception to this, wondering no doubt, what strange creature it is.

People tend to be more interested and wonder what programme I am making and smile or ask if I am from the BBC. I am not sure that I will be able to get a StillWalk from this impromptu stroll along the promenade but if I need to do a full production day there, I’ll make sure I have the StillWalks logo printed on my T-shirt first.