Blogging 1660

Really love this picture for some reason...

I've been immersed in 17th century London through reading the online Pepys' Diary for the past few days. It's something that I'd been meaning to get around to for some time, and this site makes it a great deal more managable by having an entry per day (although we're already a couple of years in at this point) with hyperlinked annotations and the opportunity to post questions and comments. A brilliant (and quite rare) use of the digital format.

As for the diary itself, it's interesting not only in providing a window into a fascinating historical period (the diary opens in the death throes of the English Republic, and goes on to cover plague and the Great Fire) but also the voice of Pepys himself who is often a superb journalist. I've been made to wonder if the small personal moments of humanity he records have a greater resonance because of the very fact that everyone involved has been dead for centuries - they stand only for themselves, and are thus purer...

For my own record of daily life in 21st century Manchester I'll note here for posterity that the demonstration organised by the National Front against today's Gay Pride parade consisted in its entirety of five sad-looking specimens. An enjoyably pathetic spectacle.

On The Dish

This is the surface of the giant Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank. Being up there is a totally unique experience; you emerge into the centre of a nearly 80 meter wide bowl where everything is a brilliant white, so much so in fact that the blue sky appears almost black in comparison.

There'll be several more from here in the Science section of the gallery when I have time to update - at the moment I'm in a frenzy of printing and framing ready for the exhibition.

I think there's somehow a connection between doing repetitive tasks like processing film and cutting mats and my sporadic phases of punk / new wave listening, so accordingly the last few weeks it's been almost constant X-Ray Spex, The Slits, and Wire on repeat play...

Carnivalé

Carribean carnival time this weekend, although so far the weather isn't playing ball ... all part of the fun of a Manchester summer though. At least the rain is a bit warmer than usual...

In any case, I'm feeling pretty good - had an extremely hectic week during which all the remaining photography for the upcoming exhibition was completed. Still have a lot of film to develop and prints to make and frame, but it all seems relatively managable now.

One of the last two subjects for the project was an astronomer at Jodrell Bank observatory, and I had an extremely interesting day following him around. Part of that was getting to go up onto the surface of the giant radio telescope they have there - a totally surreal experience, and probably the most fun I've had all year. Will post photos from that soon.

In other news, very much addicted to the second season of The Wire currently airing here. Best teevee evah.

Open Book

Photo book recommendations this week - Jonathan Moller's great photographs of Guatemala in 'Our Culture is Our Resistance', and Liu Zheng's 'The Chinese'.

A new chapter in another sense - my wonderful friend Jacqueline Marie is getting married this weekend. Congratulations my dear, wishing you all possible happinesses!

Concrete

This was sort of a grab shot as I just happened to walk by here on my last trip to London. I've always sort of admired the Brutalist style, although I suspect its reputation has been forever tarnished by close association with the often shoddy construction and town planning policies of the 1960s. In any case, this is one of the more successful examples - Trellick Tower, designed in the 60s by the wonderfully named Erno Goldfinger.

I've added a page with a selection of Science project work to the gallery - will be adding more info and lots more photos in the coming days and weeks.