repetition

My Walk this Week 192 – Maritime Reflections

My walk this week is from Swansea Bay and Maritime Quarter and, yet again, followed meetings, one of which was on my phone as I stood at the side of the marina and watched the still water reflecting the yacht masts and a blue sky with just one or two white clouds.

wobbly light

As I stood there the reflections were almost as straight as the masts themselves as the water was so still. Later on, after visiting the beach and listing to the rhythm of the waves, I returned to find the marina water rippled with activityContinue reading

rigging and masts

My Walk this Week 151 – The Music of Storm Hannah

My walk this week was short, cold and through the remnants of Storm Hannah – it was part of a sound and weave workshop I was running over the weekend. The first stage of the workshop was to go round Swansea Marina and listen to the sounds which featured what is known as the Marina Orchestra.

dark water

The leading orchestral instruments are the masts and rigging followed by the percussion of clanks and bangs, thumps and gloops of other maritime artefacts and of course the choppy water of the marina itself.

It was wild and cold and although we found a relatively sheltered spot to listen to the “symphony”, when we ventured down to the seafront, Continue reading

Swansea Marina

Swansea Bay – Reviewing the Walk

This weeks final post for my walk this week along Swansea Bay and back through the marina includes a selection of images from along the walk with all its space and textures and patterns and now of course, the sounds as well.

Swansea Maritime Quarter

The soundscape below contains just as many intricate patterns and textures as the visuals – from sea and blustering breeze to urban construction, the activities of marina visitors and the plinking of rigging against masts.

Continue reading

marina water patterns

Floating in the Marina

Returning through Swansea Marina on my walk this week didn’t mean I was floating on the water but did allowed me to enjoy the many complex and fluid patterns to be found there.

marina floats

The masts and rigging, the architecture – both old and new – and of course the water patterns and reflections of the surrounding structures, whether maritime or land based. Continue reading

Recognition

The word “recognition” has two senses to it and they are both relevant to this post and my walk through Swansea Marina. Firstly,  I recognise, in particular the old pump house on the left, the Seamen’s Chapel (Mission Gallery – see below) on the right and, most significantly to me, the building in which my wife and I had a studio which looked out over the marina as it changed from disused docks to the flourishing Maritime Quarter.

My wife, Ceramic Artist Julie Brunskill, will be Maker in Focus at the Mission Gallery from Tuesday 23rd February – 2nd April. Don’t miss it!

Recognition can also mean an acknowledgement of remembrance and in the photos below you will see black flags flying from some of the boats. Their ragged appearance has a haunting effect in amongst all the masts and rigging. My assumption is that they were there in recognition of David Bowie’s death a week earlier. That was just over a month ago now – R.I.P. David Bowie, I have enjoyed your music throughout my life.

Swansea Marina