Sweeping up

The Foundation for Sport and the Arts has now wound up it's operation for good.

Along the way some of the projects I photographed for the annual reports were unfinished and in an effort to keep the Foundations photographic archive complete I have, when able, been 'sweeping up' these unfinished projects.
The most notable of these being Firstsite in Colchester, only at the superstructure stage when I originally visited for the FSA's 2007 annual report.

Firstsite’s new building was designed by the Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly. His design was selected by a worldwide architectural competition that attracted more than 100 entries. Rafael Viñoly Architects PC are also creators of the Curve centre for the performing arts in Leicester, and the recently completed masterplan for London’s Battersea Power Station redevelopment.

Firstsite is built on a steel frame, and clad entirely in TECU Gold a malleable copper-aluminium alloy that had to be applied by hand. The building lies on Scheduled Ancient Monument land, with archaeological artefacts buried beneath. This meant a ‘no-dig’ policy, conventional foundations could not be dug. Instead, the vast 3,200 square metre building is supported by a giant concrete ‘raft’, which floats above the ground.

Organising a visit to photograph Firstsite was, as I thought it would be, easy, I would already be in the area and would combine the visit with another job. Everything slotted into place as I thought it would, two days before I was due to be in Colchester, yes you guessed it, the phone rings, 'hello Lindsay here can you cancel as someone has smashed the entrance porch glass which will have to be ordered from Austria and will probably only be replaced in a couple of months'!

So here I am trying to 'sweep up' unfinished jobs nearly ending up with a brush in my hand! only photographed the interior this time, I'll have to revisit once the exterior has been repaired!

The 'Object Project'

Sounded simple enough, photograph artwork and produce Giclee prints for an exhibition! By way of an introduction, read on.

Exhibition by Lin Holland & Jane Poulton with the participation of 18 residents from West Everton

The Object Project began almost one year ago with collaborating artists Lin Holland & Jane Poulton working with seventeen households from the West Everton Community Council on a participatory research project.
The aim of the project was to build a dialogue between the artists and residents wherein they could collectively explore how objects become meaningful in the lives of their owners and what role three-dimensional contemporary art might have in domestic spaces.

The artists visited each household where the project participants revealed their significant object and explained how it had accrued its meaning. The portraits, objects and stories were recorded, creating an archive of intimate heritage. Seventeen new artworks have been made by Lin & Jane in response to this exchange and these will be exhibited, along with photographic images documenting the project.

Now Lin & Jane have put me through the wringer before always interesting, sometimes very challenging projects.
No surprises this time! Three location's for the photography the first being a studio at Hope University followed by a shoot in the Everton community centre involving a model who has never been photographed before, is agoraphobic and needs to take up ten different classical poses after famous works of art representing 'Venus'.

Then followed wax, glass, plaster, linen, coloured boxes, cutlery, granite, bronze, a mirror, feather filled pillow and last but not least several Lego towers with a house on top of each, a great project and very rewarding to see all my prints on display at Hope University at the private viewing.

'Le jour le plus long' St Mary-le-Bow from top to bottom

As commissions go being asked to photograph the interior of St Mary-Le-Bow in London seemed like an exciting and straightforward proposition at first.

As the detail of this church presented itself so did all the problems, no chance of shooting in the week as this is when all the services are held, so a weekend is looking most likely.

The tower

On to the pendolino on a bright Saturday morning and two hours later I'm trying to buy a ticket for the underground, yes maintenance work on the very line I need to use. I need to get to Bow soon, as my work will be interrupted by a wedding later the same day, bus journey is one and a half hours! I decide it will be quicker to walk. It is quicker to walk but the combination of a large camera bag and tripod takes it out of me, I arrive looking rather red-faced.

Interior

Rood detail

The interior of Bow is uncomplicated and very fresh looking, in part because it was almost completely destroyed by enemy action in May 1941 and not rebuilt until 1964, no great problems here the shots look great, now for the norman crypt, amazing atmosphere down here. Also required is a shot of the famous Bow Bells whilst they are being rung, so off I go up the tower.

The famous Bow Bells

After the Great Fire of London an attempt was made to shore up the old tower, but Sir Christopher Wren had the ambition for his second (after St Paul’s) tallest structure, this tower is huge, and it's a long way up, red-face time again!

Time to return to Euston, yes you guessed walking again, whilst sitting on the train I was reminded of a route I climbed in Jordan a long time ago. 'Le Jour le Plus Long' this is a route up the South West Face of Jebel um Ishrin, in the Wadi Rum area of Jordan It is Graded 5+ it has twenty two pitches, total length six hundred metres, first climbed by the Swiss brothers Claud and Yves Remy in 1988. Today has also felt like 'the longest day'

Crypt

I wish I was a gambling man!

In September 2011 I was commissioned to photograph the then Dean of Liverpool Cathedral The Very Revd Justin Welby before he left Liverpool to become the Bishop of Durham, see my blog PxQB8 Pawn takes Bishop in five moves.

At the end of my blog I finished with the words 'Promotion should follow' I was of course referring to the pawn reaching the other side of the chess board and being 'promoted' but we all know what has happened since!

On the 21st of March 2013 The Most Revd Justin Welby was enthroned in Canterbury Cathedral and is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury.

Perhaps I should have visited the local betting shop, just think of the odds I could have had when I photographed him as Dean of Liverpool Cathedral in 2011!