My Walk this Week – Art and Design in Leeds

Posted on 23/04/201823/04/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week in Leeds is my vehicle for showcasing my daughter’s work as a jewellery artist – Hannah Duncan Creations. I say “artist” because the work she designs is her means of expression, but she is a great craftsperson as well. The collection she delivered recently to the Craft Centre and Design Gallery includes work based on the rocky coastlines of Britain and in some pieces the very sand from the beaches forms a part of the work.

The image below is an example of Hannah’s work and if you would like to see more please visit her website at Hannah Duncan Creations.

Hannah Duncan Creations

Our recent travels to York (see last weeks walk posts) allowed us to help Hannah out and visit Leeds on our way home. The day was beautifully sunny and our walk to the City Art Gallery and the Design Centre below it was brightContinue reading→

The Arrangement of Things

Posted on 20/04/201817/04/2018 by Alastair

When I crossed the Millennium Footbridge in York at the start of my walk this week I was interested in the arrangement of the half submerged objects in the flooded River Ouse. In post production I also saw the potential for the use of monochrome in many of the photographs I shot with the result that this week I have been posting parallel image galleries in colour and black and white (and one or two in sepia).

There were some images which would have been pointless in monochrome, such as the one above or those below of the primroses. But there are others where the colour was almost pointless such as those of the bridge itself and its wet railing. And then there is the sound . . .Continue reading→

Watery Park – Fighting in the Floods

Posted on 18/04/201815/04/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week features the effect of the flooding River Ouse on Rowntree Park in York. The park was closed due to the excess of water but the cafe overlooking the watery scene was not and so I was able to sit with a coffee and observe.

I don’t think it was the stress of too much water that set the Canada Geese fighting – more likely it was the time of year. It provided some action entertainmentContinue reading→

My Walk this Week – Colour or Monochrome Flood

Posted on 16/04/201815/04/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week follows a flood – not so much follows in fact, more dictated. The River Ouse in York regularly floods if there is a lot of rainfall in the area or up river and when I was there at the start of April the rain was teeming down across the country. I took the earliest opportunity when the rain stopped to check out the watery scene.

I was at least able to cross the Millennium Footbridge whereas on a previous occasion I had not even been able to approach the bridge! What caught my eye in particular was the arrangement of objects such as semi submerged bollards, fence reflections and the ghost image of the footpath as it curved round under the water.

In looking back at the photos I couldn’t decide whether I preferred them in colour or monochrome, so they are both included below – all except the curved footpath shot because in monochrome the path was completely hidden.

Millennium Bridge York

Muddy waters

Ouse overflow

Arrangement of bollards

Fence reflection

Hidden Footpath

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Millennium Bridge – monochrome

Muddy monochrome waters

Ouse overflow – monochrome

Arrangement of monochrome bollards

monochrome reflection

The Train Leaving the Station is . . .

Posted on 13/04/201807/04/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week has been around the area next to Bristol Temple Meads and at the end of this architectural walk I entered the railway station, not just to view its structure and design but talso to listen to its sounds.

The start of my soundscape for this walk, like the photos posted at the start of the week, provide some evidence of people – footsteps and voices – but not nearly as much as you might expect for the number of people that were actually there. Perhaps the sounds of human voices and the actions of individuals were being absorbed or muffled by the three dimensional complexity of the city’s architecture and the activities taking place, such as building construction, trains, traffic, etc.

The sounds inside the station were, as you would expect, different. Aside from the echo and reverberation of the cavernous space, the density of people and subsequently their voices and conversations rose to another level. And then the trains arrived and the background ambience changed again – until the train left.

This walk did not involve much in the way of nature and for me there is no question about which is more pleasant and relaxing (a natural environment), but I still find the urban environment of huge interest and I am just as fascinated by the textures, patterns, shapes and colours to be seen and heard around me in the city as I am in a wood or on a mountain – less relaxed but still interested.

Bristol City Soundscape

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Station exterior wall

wall detail

detail in perspective

Station roof

Bristol Temple Meads

The Nuts, Bolts and Perspective of Architecture

Posted on 11/04/201807/04/2018 by Alastair

On my walk this week around an area of the Bristol cityscape next to Temple Meads railway station, I was attracted by the patterns and perspectives, and the nuts and bolts of the architecture and construction along the riverside.

A passing walker said he liked the view up the river from under a nearby bridge so I made a point of heading that way. Underneath I found I liked the view of the bridge as much as from it, enjoying the rows and patterns in perspective of nuts and bolts and rivets as well as the dark heavy weight of the structure. The design and engineering of structures like this and all the architecture around me was remarkable. The arrangement of the buildings is also remarkable and looking at them from different angles creates a new jigsaw of shapes with every turn of the head.

arrangement of shapes

architectural perspective

Looking out from under

Constructed and construction

Riverside cityscape

nuts and bolts

nuts and bolds perspective

My Walk this Week – City Sunshine

Posted on 09/04/201807/04/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week is around a small central area of city of Bristol next to Temple Meads railway station. I had been for an interview with the Theo Moorman Charitable Trust for an award of funding towards developing new work in my tapestry weaving – the application was successful I am pleased to say.

It was a sunny day and my next appointment for the day was later in the day in Newport where I ended up with another short walk – see last week’s posts. So I took the opportunity to have a little explore of theContinue reading→

A Space Between – Edgelands of Industry and Nature

Posted on 06/04/201830/03/2018 by Alastair

My walk this week has been through a space between, a space on the edge of both nature and industry – and nature, of course, wins every time and in so many ways.

Looking at the evidence of man is perhaps not the best way to finish my posts on this walk but there are other elements to the landscape apart from the old tyres and wires. The profusion of old Buddleia bushes will soonContinue reading→

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