Flickr Friends

Yesterday I met two of my Flickr contacts – although I much prefer to call them friends, Ian and Adam. I have known both, for a few months now, but only through sharing pictures on Flickr.

Ian had travelled to London from his home in Bury and instigated this meeting, with the view of visiting the 9/11 project at Battersea Park after seeing the pictures I had recently posted. Apart from the friends I’ve made on the Tips From The Top Floor forum, I had never met any of my contacts on Flickr. So I was really looking forward to this meet-up. Unfortunately, this meet-up was only going to last for a couple of hours, as Ian was in London on a work day.

We had arranged to meet at Sloane Square, but as Ian was a little early, he found his way to the Saachi Gallery. Despite only being minutes away from where I work, this was the first time I had actually been inside the gallery. Every other time I had tried to visit, the gallery had been closed for private functions!!!

It was nice to actually meet Ian. He was just how I expected Ian to be. He is such a warm, friendly and happy guy.

As we were waiting for Adam, we had a little look around the gallery, and I christened Ian my “Art Director”, as I was taking pictures of some of the exhibits, Ian thought it would be better if I captured someone looking at the art work. As well as my director, he was also acted as the model!!!

It was also a bonus to meet Adam. Adam, like me, lives in the London area, and like me, made his way to meet up after work. Adam, like Ian, is very much like his Flickr persona. I felt so lucky to meet two such friendly lads.

I hope this is the first of many flickr meet-ups

A Playful Meerkat

The new Meerkat enclosure at Colchester Zoo seems to be a big hit for the Meerkats. They must be happy in their new environment. The current Mob (a group of meerkats) started with 2 males and 1 female. They have already produced a number of litters, which is so good to see. The youngsters are so playful, scampering about their enclosure. As part of the enrichment process, the keepers hide food using props such as old boots etc, and this image pictures one of the youngsters looking for food.

9/11 Project

The 9/11 Project is a charity that has been set up to provide an educational programme for schools to promote understanding of what happened on 11th September 2001 in New York, with the mission to reduce the possibilities of any similar act in the future. As part of the project, an art instillation has been commissioned to help promote the charity and provide London with a lasting memorial.

The “After 9/11” installation was designed by Miya Ando, using steel from the World Trade Centre that was gifted to London by the New York Port Authority. It is hoped that a permanent home for the work will be found, but in September 2011 a temporary home was found in Battersea Park, where it will be displayed for a month.

Miya Ando says of her work:

Creating a public work of art from the World Trade Centre steel is an incredible honour.

My idea is to sand and re-finish part of the steel to reveal within the material a polished, light- reflecting surface.  I will create a meditative environment on the steel plate, comprising a serene horizon.   I would like to leave some of the steel surface on the beams in its natural state but sand down and finish part of the steel to reveal in the material a quiet, contemplative field to create a poetic public artwork while respecting the material.  The columns will remain in their current, unchanged form, thereby presenting the material in a pure and honest manner.

It is my hope that by standing upright the fallen steel columns, I may evoke a quiet yet strong message of transcendence, and the role of education in the growth of hope from tragedy.  It is my hope that this sculpture will stand as a beacon for the educational programme.

I was quite lucky when I visited, as there was no one else around. The design of the sculpture actually reminded me of the Twin Towers. It was quite eerie to think that the structure I was looking at, actually came from the wreckage of the buildings where so many people had lost their lives, and what became a catylist for many wars, that even today, 10 years later, are still raging on. Using the steel girders rising upwards to the sky, you get a feeling of hope for the future.

It did bring the memories of the day flooding back. I was at work when someone called to tell us about the first plane hitting the towers.We switched the TV on, just as the second plane hit. Although it was a tragic event unfolding in front of our eyes, it actually felt at the time I was watching a Hollywood film. It just didn’t seem possible that anyone would want to do something so devastating.

Let us hope the 9/11 Project is successful in promoting understanding, and educate kids to be more tolerant of each other, and events like 9/11 and 7/7 in London, never happen again.

 

A Visit To Colchester Zoo

As a member of Colchester Zoo, you will see lots of pictures taken at the zoo. On this occasion, I decided to have a little play around with the composition of the pictures I was taking, and decided on close ups. The idea is that you do not have to capture the whole to appreciate the whole.

Every one knows this is a giraffe:

..and we all know that this is an elephant:

…and finally a rhinoceros:

I also love the textures that the camera has picked up by going close, and has produced some interesting shots.

Metal Men

For the first time I took the Docklands Light Railway to Woolwich Arsenal. This is a part of London, that I have never visited before. However, as this visit was a spur of the moment thing, I had not done any research, so I had no idea what I was going to find. I didn’t even know that the buildings that made up the Woolwich Arsenal still existed. It is now a mix of new residential homes, and a place that holds a couple of museums. Unfortunately, I never had the time to go into the museums, but I did get a chance to see this art installation:

This is called “The Assembly”, and  a collection of 16 cast iron figures by the sculpture Peter Burke.  Peter Burke is a British artist, who originally comes from London. He started his working life as a jig and tool designer for Rolls Royce. He then attended Art School, to become a lecturer in art and design. His work was first exhibited in 1973, but it was not until the 1990’s that he became a full time sculpture.

Here are a couple of more pictures of “The Assembly”: