95 years on

Years ago I had a book containing milestones from the history of photography. Included in it was Henri Lartigue's 1913 image of a racing car, speeding past the camera. The shutter action moved vertically from top to bottom, and as it did so transferred the light
onto the plate. With the pace of the car, the time which the shutter slit took to scan the lens became significant, such that circular
wheels were captured as ovals. So, I believe, the inspiration for Roadrunner's leg action was born.

Now idly snapping from the train to Sheffield, I find that by turning my iPhone to landscape format I can reproduce the same effect. We've clearly come a long way in 95 years.

The International

'The movie also looks at the role of architecture in our lives and how much it influences emotions. Expensive modern architecture has changed the landscape of so many big cities. It's fascinating architecture: it seems driven by a desire to exude clarity with its lines, yet at the same time it is hard to read.' (from Sight & Sound)

A visual artist's observation on international modernism, as Tom Tykwer describes the key role of architecture in his new film 'The
International'. Looking forward to it - and seeing the always watchable Clive Owen in action.

Biscuits

On Friday, some of my students arrived with parts of a model they are making of Platt Hall in Manchester. They were cut by laser from a sheet of MDF, and as you can see were surprisingly detailed. Platt Hall was built in 1746 in the Palladian style to designs by John Carr of York.

I thought they looked a bit like biscuits.

Mykonos

The great Fleet Foxes were an enchanting diversion last year while the economy careened down a slippery slope. I remember listening to Mykonos first while walking across Birmingham's city centre on a sunny April day, and the song has retained its charm through 50 or more plays (according to my iTunes).

A video of the song has been released by Grandchildren, and having just watched it I can't help feeling a little disappointed. The character of the two halves of the song doesn't seem to have been accurately captured. To me, the first half has a soaring, aerial quality, bathed in a Greek sun - blue, white and olive green. The second half is earth-bound, acappella changing to an assertive, insistent 4/4 rhythm, before a loping reggae conclusion. As it concludes in this half, the words and music seem to begin on a hilltop, before running and skipping downhill across a pastoral landscape.

Apart from the crafted Oliver Postgate quality there seemed to be little to connect the images to the music or the band, despite the worthy efforts of tackling a stop motion process.

Stalker

As one of the most impressive pieces of cinema I've ever seen, it was great to see reflections on Stalker by critic Geoff Dyer. The Guardian article touches on what provides its enduring quality, concluding that enigma and ambiguity reward re-viewing. For me, the Tarkovsky's themes of yearning and redemption are palpable, played out as a journey into a forbidden zone, prompting parallels with the Christian worldview.

Time for another viewing, I think.

Tickets

UK train tickets seem logical from the viewpoint of an engineer or the ticket machine. A consistent watermarked, orange-bordered strip is printed in black ink of three font sizes.

As a traveller however, you have to identify the correct ticket as you walk towards the inspector, or they walk towards you. This is impossible to do quickly and efficiently since they are nearly indistinguishable.

Applying a simple hatch to, say, every 'outward portion' or using a supersize font and generally better hierarchy of information would solve this very easily. Of course the engineer might protest that it will use more ink...

Perhaps I'll give it a go.

Strange maps

The strangeness of this site, coupled with its articulate writers has made it essential RSS reading.

One day a map of voting patterns in Poland (see earlier post), another a map of North & South America in strawberry jam (left).