Artist At Work

There's a new exhibition on at the moment at the Contemporary, featuring the work of artist Simon Starling.

Simon actually studied in Nottingham some thirty years ago, but I don't think he lives here anymore.

There are a number of large scale exhibits to see, including some giant silver shapes, a load of black balls of different sizes positioned to make a design, and a large canoe that has been created from magnesium, obtained from the Dead Sea.

Although the exhibits were interesting to look at, I was more intrigued by this collected o old paint pots. They are part of a bigger piece, but I think they look good as a still life.

Dalekmania

Well it's Friday and the last day of my course.

We finished at lunchtime, so I took a bus to Cardiff Bay to look at the Doctor Who Exhibition that's on there.

I wasn't on the bus long, when it pulled up outside, what can only be described as a aircraft hanger. A huge building with the "Doctor Who Experience" blazoned across it.

I went in and paid my entrance fee. I was told that the next tour starts shortly, so I went to their cafe and had some lunch. A peri peri chicken panini.

At half two, around twenty of us gathered at the entrance, where we were told that we would be going on a journey with the Doctor. We were also told, not to him or photograph it, as it would spoil it for others. "Spoilers" as River Song often stated.

The adventure lasted about thirty minutes, then we were let loose in the museum part. Two floors of sets, costumes, monsters and props. And permission to take as many photos as we liked.

Where to start. It was like being in a sweet shop. I remember visiting the one they used to have in Blackpool. And it was not as good as this. Very light and airy, with daylight balanced bulbs, so no colour casting on my photos.

Naturally the exhibits leant towards the new series, rather than the original, which I grew up with. Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker etc.

I spent a good couple of hours there, but was conscious of the three hour journey back home. I could have stayed there all day, looking and reading about everything.  Still it was a great conclusion to a busy week.

An Artistic Streak

Passing by the Contemporary the other day, I noticed that they were getting things ready for their next exhibition entitled 'Alien Encounters'.

The highlight of the exhibition is some artwork from Sun Ra, the American jazz musician who claimed that he was from another planet, but actually born in Birmingham, Alabama during 1914 and died in 1993.

It looks quite a chaotic scene with things scattered all over the place, but lets not forget that important cup of tea on the table. It seems that there were no seats available, as the artist was sat on the floor. She seemed to be so busy in what she she was doing, that she wasn't aware that I was standing at the giant window, but just looked up as I was taking the shot.

In The Frame

An art exhibition has just opened at my local library in Beeston. And of course I had to put in an entry.
As I very rarely print any of my photos,  I put in my rusting bike photo, that I took last year in Wales.

There was a bit of an opening party tonight, as the library had invited the artists to meet up and share their work. There was around 40 pieces of art, including, of course photography, some paintings, sketches and needlecraft.

I was talking to another photographer about my picture and where I took it. She saw the rusting bike as a metaphor for the destruction of the British cycle industry, especially that of Nottingham's very own Raleigh.

Artography

Photography takes many forms, from the straight portrait to documentary and street photography. If you've been following my blog for some time, then you would have seen that I have tried them all.

But I came across a new and probably unique form of photography today, when I visited my local Waterstones bookshop.

Howie the artist has taken normal photos of Asian women and then tweaked them in Photoshop so that they look like paintings. He also gives his photos an old sepia look too.

I enjoyed looking at the photos in the exhibition and chatting to Howie about photography. Here's a WEB-LINK to his site, where you can see some more of his fine art photography. And if you have the opportunity, do pop into Waterstones and see the work in real life. You won't be disappointed.

Snapped

One of the great things about being involved in photography, is having the opportunity of meeting other photographers and seeing their work.

Gail and I have had that opportunity today, when we met up with local photographer Tracey Whitefoot, in West Bridgford library, where she is has an exhibition of some of her excellent landscapes.

I have known Tracey a while now, as we often bump into each other at events across Nottingham. But as Tracey is a professional photographer, we often only manage to say a quick 'hello' before she's off looking for her next shot.

So it was nice to spend some quality time with her, and look at her prints in real life, rather than a computer screen. And Gail hadn't met her before, so it was a good opportunity for introductions.

If you fancy popping along to the library in West Bridgford and seeing Tracey's exhibition, it's on between now and the 17th of November. Yes, a library that is open on a Sunday. How great is that.

There is also the opportunity of saying hello to her on the 19th, 24th, 29th October & 10th November. She is also giving a small talk on her photography on either the 10th of October or the 6th November. Or if you are unable to get, here's a LINK to Tracy's website. And of course she is on Facebook and Twitter.

Dead Men Can't Talk

The Kray Twins were a couple of evil criminals from the East End of London that were the leading gangland thugs of the 1950s and 60s. They murdered and threatened people, while trying to live a glamorous lifestyle by trying to rub shoulders with the rich and famous of the day.

But their deadly empire came to an end and they were sent to prison for 30 years in 1969. Ronnie Died in 1995, and Reggie in 2000.

The Galleries of Justice presently have a small exhibition about their life, trial and death. The exhibition contains photos, items and documents about the twins who were born in October 1933. They also have a soundtrack accompanying the exhibition, containing news reports and music of the day. Whilst I was there, The Rolling Stones came on with Jumping Jack Flash.

Head And Shoulders Above The Rest

Besides the Daleks, the biggest foe of the Doctor is the Cybermen.  Those seven foot unemotional androids who shout "delete" as they shoot anything that stands in their way to domination of the universe.

They first made their appearance in 1966, and have been appearing on and off since then. A little curious fact is that they battled every doctor except Jon Pertwee. Which sadly makes only the Daleks to face each of the eleven variations of the Timelord.

I went to the Contemporary today, as their latest exhibition has just opened.It's called "The Universal Addressibility of Dumb Things".  A rather pompous title for a exhibition if I've ever heard one.

Still what was on show, is a bit better than some that's been on lately. I was therefore surprised to see the head of a Cyberman as an exhibit.  After I took the photo, I was told off, as apparently this time you couldn't take pictures, due to some complex copyright problem between the exhibitors. This is a great shame, as I wanted to take a shot of a giant 30ft Felix, that was also on show. I feel a sneaky pic adventure coming on.

The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round

There's a photographic exhibition on at the moment in the city centre about the Co-operative Society, which was one of the largest supermarket chains in the country; now unfortunately it is one of the smallest, with the onslaught of Tesco's, Sainsbury's and ASDA.

What makes this exhibition different is that it is outside and the photographs are film poster size. There are quite a number, and they tell the story of the Co-op from the early years to the present day and their involvement in helping third world countries through the Fairtrade scheme etc.

I think most people remember going to the Co-op and getting the 'divi'; blue stamps that you saved in a book, and when it was full, you used to get money off your shopping. It was similar in a way to the Green Shield Stamps scheme. You got these from petrol stations and when you had enough you could go to their catalogue shop and exchange them for goods.

Both schemes finished in the early 1980s, as people got fed up with saving them and prices rose, which meant you have to save even more stamps for an item.

The society looked after its employees, as you can see here, as members of staff are taken to the seaside by charabanc.

A Is For Apple

Besides all the great things on offer at Bradford's National Media Museum, there's a special exhibition on at the moment all about consumer electronics since the 1970s.

It was very interesting, seeing how things have changed over the last forty years. And nothing has changed so much as computers; especially those in the home.

One of the most famous names in computing is of course Apple. In fact I am presently writing this blog on an iMac. Gail too is an 'Appleite', with an iMac, iPad and iPhone. It's a shame in a way that they don't make digital cameras, as it would be great to have an iSnap!

Here's a photo of the Apple II from 1978. How different it looks from the swish, sexy machines of today. Plus of course the processing power has improved dramatically. Even though it appears to be a powerful machine in its time, I doubt it would be able to manage a blog, like my 27" iMac can.

Exterminate!

Grrr, somehow I forgot to set up a post for Saturday. And I really hate missing a day, as I like to blog everyday, and so try to generate a page, even if I am not able to blog at the time.

Most of Saturday was spent at the National Media Museum. What a fantastic place. Eight floors of film, television and photographic memories. It was almost like all my boyhood memories had come to life for everyone to see. From Rainbow's Zippy and George, to Captain Scarlet and Thunderbird 2 via a bit of Rhubarb and Custard.

There was of course one character that is part of most people's childhood, and that is of a Dalek. Whether you hid behind the sofa, or sat glued to the action, as the good Doctor, whether it was Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee (my first) or Baker (the best) fought them with cunning and ingenuity and saved the day. Only you knew, just knew that they would return to have another go next year.

Cloak And Dagger

Today, a very special exhibition opens at Nottingham Castle. A number of costumes, props etc from the recent series of Robin Hood are going on display for a while. I will take a look this week & see if I can get some photos for the site. But for now, you'll have to make do with this giant advertising poster.