View allAll Photos Tagged Insignificant

After conquering the 150.92-kilometer (93.77-mile) extended W trek in 6 days, I finally escaped the stunning, yet brutal, beauty of Torres del Paine, Chile. The hike was undoubtedly challenging, with steep ascents, river crossings, and unpredictable weather. But the rewards were immeasurable. The panoramic views of the mountains, glaciers, and lakes were simply breathtaking, and I'll cherish the memories I made with my fellow hikers forever. After a quick 1-hour and 15-minute drive back to Puerto Natales, southern Chile, I ditched my heavy backpack and indulged in a well-deserved feast. The next morning, I was up bright and early, ready to conquer the border crossing into Argentina. A 6-hour and 48-minute journey later, I arrived at my next destination: the jaw-dropping Perito Moreno Glacier, the los Glaciares National Park, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

 

If you thought the Grey Glacier in Torres del Paine was impressive, wait until you see this ice behemoth! Both glaciers are part of the same massive ice field, making Patagonia a true ice lover's paradise. Perito Moreno is like a small country made entirely of ice.

 

The 250 km² (97 sq mi) ice formation, 30 km (19 mi) long, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes mountain range, which it shares with Chile, which has a small part of the glacier's origin. This ice field is the world's third-largest reserve of fresh water and the third largest ice cap in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. The Southern Patagonian Ice Field stretches approximately 350 kilometers (217 miles) from north to south, covers roughly 16,800 square kilometers (6,500 square miles), and generally sits at an elevation of around 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) above sea level. Since 2020, the glacier has been retreating on its northern front, possibly due to climate change. It was previously one of the few unusual glaciers that maintained a state of equilibrium during the late 20th and early 21st centuries because it was accumulating mass at a rate similar to its loss. The reason for its unusually long period of stability remains debated by glaciologists.

 

The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km (3.1 mi) wide, with an average height of 74 m (240 ft) above the surface of the water of Argentino Lake in Argentina. It has a total ice depth of 170 meters (558 ft).

 

I'm still reeling from the sheer size and otherworldly beauty of this icy giant. Stay tuned for more updates from my Patagonian adventure!

 

Life is a series of steps. Things are done gradually. Once in a while there is a giant step, but most of the time we are taking small, seemingly insignificant steps on the stairway of life.

Ralph Ransom

 

In the mid-1800s, these were the common types of Acadian homes, as they usually had a porch on the front which gave families a place to sit....cool off.....and "socialize".

 

I can remember growing up in the 60's & 70's....prior to cable TV, shopping malls, organized children's dance/sports, fast food restaurants, and the internet......and on the weekends.....we would just "go visiting".

 

Back then, we all kept in close touch with our relatives and always knew what was going on in everyone's lives.....even if sometimes sharing one another's business was considered "gossip".

 

Hopefully, these challenging times will remind us all of how insignificant some things really are......and how precious life and family really is to us......

Maybe it's best to use this as an opportunity to reassess our priorities and reconnect with some long lost friends and/or family members.

 

When this "social distancing thing" is over.........Let's do more "visiting".

 

I'm very thankful for the visits I get here on Flickr.

Thank Y'all for your comments - Have a great Weekend !

"Some details in life may look insignificant but appear to be vital leitmotifs in a person's life. They may have the value of "Rosebuds" of Citizen Kane or "Madeleine cookies" of Marcel Proust or "Strawberry fields" of the Beatles. People regularly walk down the memory lane of their early youth. The paper boats of their childhood are recurrently floating on the waves of their mind and bring back the mood and the spirit of the early days. They enable us to retreat from the trivial, daily worries and can generate delightful bliss and true joy in a sometimes frantic and chaotic life. ("Paper boats forever")..."

 

youtu.be/HtUH9z_Oey8

Strawberry Fields Forever 🎵

THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT AND FAVES

ON THE REACTIONS I WILL TRY TO RESPOND BACK

 

Bougainvillea is een geslacht uit de familie Nyctaginaceae. Soorten en kruisingen uit het geslacht worden toegepast als tuin- en kamerplant.

 

Er zijn circa 15 soorten, afkomstig uit de tropen en subtropen van Zuid-Amerika, vooral Brazilië. Ze zijn in de eerste helft van de 19de eeuw in Europa ingevoerd. Vooral in de landen rond de Middellandse Zee en in Afrika tieren ze welig.

 

Deze planten zijn heester- of kruidachtig, groenblijvend of bladverliezend, meest klimmend. In de vrije natuur worden ze tot 4 m hoog. Ze hebben bedoornde twijgen en onaanzienlijke bloempjes. De bloemen zijn omgeven door opvallend gekleurde, papierachtige schutbladeren die lang aan de plant blijven zitten.

 

Bougainvillea werd voor het eerst gevonden in de tweede helft van de 18e eeuw, tijdens een expeditie waarover de Franse zeevaarder Louis Antoine de Bougainville de leiding had.

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Bougainvillea is a genus of the Nyctaginaceae family. Species and hybrids of the genus are used as garden and houseplant.

 

There are about 15 species, native to the tropics and subtropics of South America, especially Brazil. They were introduced in Europe in the first half of the 19th century. Especially in the countries around the Mediterranean and in Africa they flourish luxuriantly.

 

These plants are shrubs or herbaceous, evergreen or deciduous, most climbing. In the wild they are up to 4 m. They have spiny twigs and insignificant flowers. The flowers are surrounded by strikingly colored, papery bracts that remain long on the plant.

 

Bougainvillea was first found in the second half of the 18th century, during an expedition which the French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville was in charge.

This photo may seem insignificant at first glance but it marks a major change with my life in this pandemic. This is the first time in 2 years that my wife and I felt comfortable enough to attend a estate sale. A outing we once loved to do together. It actually felt normal. Could this really be the beginning of the endemic? Now if I could have the courage to get rid of the mask.

Massive monsoon thunderheads stretch up to the stratosphere above the already lofty summit of Nuptse at 7861m (25,791 ft). The Himalya have a way of making one feel small and insignificant like nowhere else I have experienced. The mountains just seem impossibly high in the sky, the landscape impossibly big. The wall in front of me here climbs 2.8km (1.73mi) vertically from the valley floor. The shot is taken from Kala Pattar at 5545m (18192 ft). At 5500m you have exactly 50% of the oxygen available at sea level. Nuptse sits two km WSW of Mount Everest. Khumbu region of the Mahalangur Himal, Nepalese Himalayas, Nepal. Taken with Fuji Velvia slide film.

 

www.robertdowniephotography.com

Love Life, Love Photography

Es ist sinnvoll, sich bei der Motivsuche Zeit zu lassen. Eine Weile zu verharren und den Blick zur Ruhe kommen zu lassen.So erkennt man dann auch in scheinbar unbedeutenden Dingen etwas besonderes.

 

If you look at an apparently insignificant scene for a while, you sometimes recognize something special.

Explore #16 - September 13, 2023

I often pass in front of this old and imposing farmhouse and every time I always have the same feeling of how ephemeral and transient our existence is. I had to photograph it. It is no coincidence that I chose a day with the Moon, symbol of an eternal Universe for which we are only insignificant dots.

"Today I saw a red and yellow sunset and thought, how insignificant I am! Of course, I thought that yesterday too, and it rained." (Woody Allen)

 

Today has been a dull day with some rain earlier. To cheer up a bit, here is an image of sunset when, just before the sun rolls down below the skyline, it put low clouds on fire. This image followed the panoramic scene (taken 16 min earlier) posted at the beginning of August

www.flickr.com/photos/sergeysmirnov/53094278760/. Taken from the Cotswold Way on Lansdown Hill overlooking city of Bristol and Wales at the horizon. Bath, BANES, Somerset, England, UK

www.instagram.com/lightcrafter.artistry

www.lightcrafter.pro

 

Somewhere in our universe, on a strange, insignificant planet, a foreboding, semi-translucent black monolith flickers like a ghost stuck between two worlds. In the distance, a looming planet, partially illuminated by a nearby star, takes on the sinister appearance of a crazed grin, as if anticipating what you are about to discover. Step a little closer to the monolith for a better look, and you realize it is not a solid piece of material, but rather, an eerie doorway, or portal, to another dimension--a galactic wonderland where reality is bizarre beyond your wildest imaginations. Incidentally, a sentient being crossing over the opposite way, from the other dimension to ours, thinks the exact same thing about our apparently "normal" universe.

Perhaps Life is much stranger than we thought...

 

All images © 2017 Daniel Kessel.

All rights reserved.

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Dati Tecnici

a) Leica M7 + Leica Summilux M 75 mm f.1,4;

b) Tempo 1/125s con apertura f.5,6 + 2/3 stop;

c) Lettura Esposimetrica effettuata con Gossen Lunalite (Effettuate quattro letture a Luce Incidente sui due lati della tenda superiore/inferiore, una lettura sulla guancia lato illuminato del ragazzo e la quarta effettuata sulla sua spalla destra e la porta dove si appoggia. La sommatoria della risultante è stata comparata con la lettura della macchina. Le letture sono state sommate ed ottenuta la media è stata applicata all’esposizione finale ma con un valore n+2/3);

d) Negativo Ilford FP4 PLUS Prof 125 Asa (esposta a 400 Asa);

e) Scansione con Agfa Duoscan T2500 Pro con rullo piano di scansione e porta di acquisizione SCSI;

f) Il negativo ottenuto presentava una buona omogeneità su tutte le zone ma sono state apportate alcune piccole varianti in post-produzione per valorizzare i neri ed abbassare di un paio di zone chiare;

g) Prima Post-Produzione con Adobe Photoshop CS6 (64bit);

h) Seconda Post-Produzione con Phocus v.3.8.8 di Hasselblad;

I) Ritocco finale con minime correzioni nelle Zone III e Zona VII/2 con Nikon Capture NX 2.

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Tutti i diritti riservati ©2026-©2036 da ArchiMlFotoWord/Luigi Mirto/Photography

Nessuna immagine o parte di essa può essere riprodotta o trasmessa in qualsiasi forma e con qualsiasi mezzo senza preventiva autorizzazione.

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All rights reserved ©2026-©2036 by ArchiMlFotoWord/Luigi Mirto/Photography

No images or part thereof may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means

Without prior permission.

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Da Ascoltare leggendo le parole

 

Ólafur Arnalds - Only The Winds (Official Music Video)

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Ólafur Arnalds - Only The Winds

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Quella luce,….attraverso

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Non riesco più a comprendere

dove termina il sogno

e comincia la realtà.

I pensieri che cerchi in me

si sono persi

fra il soffio del vento

e la fastidiosa polvere.

Eppure….,

da quella intensa luce,

nella leggera penombra

mi sopraffà la paura, tremo,

l’angoscia mi opprime

il cuore palpita furioso

penso di morire

credo sia la fine.

La poca voce si fa rauca

ma basta, a volte, non parlare,

per non far capire

e non destare sospetti

che la tua anima sta svanendo.

Non cercate qui il verbo

rimango muto fra

l’immenso silenzio

basta sono guardare

questi miei occhi neri

per far comprendere

il sentimento che

si affaccia in ogni ombra,

un sentimento nero come il buio

è la malinconica chiave segreta

del mio spezzato cuore.

Spesso non ho che frasi spoglie,

insignificanti e poche sillabe

spesso incomprensibili

smorzate nell’infinito tempo

che si sta perdendo.

………………………Luigi Mirto

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That light,…through

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I can no longer understand

where the dream ends

and reality begins.

The thoughts you search within me

have been lost

among the blowing of the wind

and the annoying dust.

And yet…,

from that intense light,

in the faint shadow

fear overwhelms me, I tremble,

anguish oppresses me

my heart beats furiously

I think I'm dying

I believe it's the end.

My feeble voice grows hoarse

but sometimes it's enough not to speak,

to avoid making it clear

and not arousing suspicion

that your soul is fading.

Don't look for the verb here

I remain silent in

the immense silence

it's enough to look

at these black eyes of mine

to make you understand

the feeling that

appears in every shadow,

a feeling as black as the darkness

is the melancholic secret key

to my broken heart.

Often I have only bare,

insignificant sentences and few syllables,

often incomprehensible,

muffled in the infinite time

that is being lost.

………………………Luigi Mirto

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Italiano

Immagine tratta dal Racconto Reportage ”Volti e Usanze della gente Siciliana”

”Un racconto reportage che è stato effettuato nei paesi, borgate, casolari e contrade nell’entroterra Siciliana allo scopo di far conoscere le usanze, i modi, le attività sociali e culturali, della bellissima Sicilia”

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English

Image from the story Reportage ”Faces and Customs of the people of Sicily"

"A narrative report that was made in the villages, hamlets, farmhouses and inland districts of Sicily in order to know the customs, manners, social and cultural activities, beautiful Sicily"

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The climb starts heavy and hard. From the bottom of the hill at Clifton, AZ, Freeport McMoRan's mine-owned railroad points to the sky and begins its ascent towards one of the US's largest copper mines at Morenci a short distance away, a mere 6 rail miles if we are keeping track. But those 6 miles are hardly insignificant, challenging FMI's fleet of modified GP38s in consists of 4 or 5 to prove their worth, dragging cars delivered and interchanged from shortline Arizona Eastern up a literal mountain to keep the production of copper ore flowing at a maximum rate of 115,000 metric tons per day. The incline? Try over 5%. That's one of the steepest (the steepest?) active climbs on a traction railway in North America. So despite only having been burdened with 13 cars, this 4 pack of 38s has their work cut out for them, already grasping for every mph they can grab before the hill rips whatever progress was made away. They will balance out well under 10 mph as the climb thickens, but ultimately victory is in their hands as they will conquer the mountain as they most always do.

Explored~!

 

.Dont you feel like this bird sometimes, all alone and insignificant in this vast space?

The Folaldafoss waterfall is in Eastern Iceland found along the Öxi mountain pass between Skriddalur and Berurfjordur. Noted as one of the falls to visit, it is largely insignificant when observed in the long lines of the spectacular mountain range running east to west. This range reveals several perpendicual cuts, likely caused by water erosion. A spectacular scene which dwarfs the 20 meter waterfall making it a small point of interest in this larger context.

I love rain. Beyond that, I love thunderstorms. It's nature flexing its muscles and showing how powerful it can be. It helps me understand how small and insignificant I am.

 

Our world is a fragile thing. A living thing. We need to take care of it so it can take care of us. Rain is one of the things the world does for us. It keeps earth cool enough for us to live on it. It makes our crop grow.

 

If we are so lazy that we can't bother to walk a few meters more to put that piece of trash in the recycling bin, do we deserve the care our beloved earth gives us?

 

Do your part in preventing our seas from becoming full of plastic garbage by throwing your trash in the recycling bin. It takes you a few seconds to do that, but for earth to get rid of that tiny plastic wrapping it takes thousands of years.

 

www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/planetorplastic/

 

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All rights reserved © Niko Hörkkö

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If you find my work worth using, please humor me and read my About section!

 

Unfortunately many people take using photos they found online very lightly and disregard (or are unaware of) the fact that most of it is copyright protected and using it may have conditions or be completely disallowed. Before you use my photos, I ask that you read my About page so that we're both on the same page and avoid all the headaches that result from license violations and copyright infringements.

Desert Tranquility

Valley of Fire State Park

Nevada

April 2023

4:25 a.m.

 

Being under the desert Milky Way stars is an awe-inspiring and humbling experience. As you gaze up at the night sky, the darkness is pierced by thousands of tiny pinpricks of light, each one a distant sun or galaxy. The vastness and beauty of the stars above can leave you feeling insignificant, yet at the same time, connected to something larger than yourself. The quiet of the desert amplifies the experience, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the wonder of the cosmos. Under the desert stars, you can't help but feel a sense of peace and tranquility.

En estos días donde el mundo que conocíamos se ha detenido por un virus desconocido, donde la incertidumbre, el dolor y el miedo azotan nuestras vidas, donde nos sentimos insignificantes ante la adversidad, es necesario agradecer el trabajo de aquellos que luchan por nosotros para que la rueda de la vida continúe girando.

 

In these days where the world we knew has been stopped by an unknown virus, where uncertainty, pain and fear devastate our lives, where we feel insignificant in the face of adversity, it`s necessary to say thank the work of those who fight for us so that the wheel of life keep turning.

 

Andean Range, Santiago (Chile).

  

Some wildflowers in Infanta Leonor Park, Valdebebas, Madrid, Spain

 

These tiny flowers, insignificant to many, didn't go unnoticed. So I decided to lie down on the ground to take a good photo of them.

 

They looked happy in the spring sunshine.

 

I wish you a happy Friday and lots of love and health!

 

Click on the "Z" to enlarge the image if you like.

 

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Algunas flores silvestres en el Parque Infanta Leonor, Valdebebas, Madrid, España

 

Estas diminutas flores, insignificantes para muchos, no pasaron desapercibidas. Así que decidí tumbarme en el suelo para sacarles una buena foto.

 

Se veían felices bajo el sol primaveral.

 

¡Os deseo un feliz viernes y mucho amor y salud!

 

Pulsa "Z" para ampliar la imagen si lo deseas.

I have an irrational fear of wasting a good outfit on a insignificant day.

 

- Missguided

 

full outfit & details at ahchoo-e!.

If you've never found yourself in old growth forest with trees that are hundreds - if not thousands - of years old, do yourself a favor and seek them out. To stand among giants that stood quietly through modern history makes one feel rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things. We stood on the trail for some time just to take it all in. Thankfully, I believe the province has recently taken steps to protect this grove from the loggers chainsaw.

 

If you'd like to know more about old growth forests or want more information, check out: ancientforestalliance.org/ Be sure to check out the incredible (if not heart breaking) photographs of TJ Watt: ancientforestalliance.org/photos-media/big-lonely-doug-an...

 

In this image, I could not capture the height of the tree with my widest lens but wanted to convey its size relative to Lynn. Happy Treemendous Tuesday!

Jamaican poinsettia

Flor de pascua jamaicana

Jamaikanischer Weihnachtsstern

Poinsétia jamaicana

Poinsettia jamaïcain

 

The small insignificant golden yellow flowers are surrounded by a very showy crown of flashy-red petal-like bracts, looking like larger flowers from a distance. Unlike the poinsettia this large shrub or small tree may flowers year round. The species is native to Bahamas, Cuba and Jamaica, where it grows in semi-arid areas on calcareous soils in full sun.

 

Miami Beach Botanical Garden

mbgarden.org

When Karl Pilkington said, "We're just a weed in the universe", did he mean that weeds are insignificant and useless things – invasive nuisances – and so is mankind? Or, did he mean that weeds are beautiful and resourceful little survivors, at one with the universe, and that mankind should remember his small place in the universe and aspire to be at peace with it?

 

For We’re Here!, where the challenge is to photographically re-imagine a Karl Pilkington quote, and post it to the group Quotes in Picture Form.

 

If you are wondering, “Who is Karl Pilkington?” here is a rather old but somewhat amusing and enlightening newspaper interview:

www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3655386/The-idiot-philosopher...

 

My image is submitted to Mini Challenge 18 - Shades Of Autumn (Art from 2017)

 

These insignificant leaves of an urban tree, whose name I don't know, reminded me of clothespins hanging on a clothesline.

 

In this case, these golden leaves, basking in their last rays of sunlight, contrasted with the dark urban background and created an interesting contrast.

 

I hope you like it. I take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Sunday, peace, love, and very good feelings.

 

Click "Z or L" to enlarge the photo.

 

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Esplendor otoñal, Madrid, España

 

Estas insignificantes hojas de un árbol urbano, cuyo nombre desconozco, me recordaron a cuando se tiende la ropa con pinzas en una cuerda.

 

En este caso, estas doradas hojas, disfrutando de sus últimos rayos de sol, contrastaban con el oscuro fondo urbano y creaban un interesante contraste.

 

Espero que os guste. Aprovecho para desearos un muy feliz domingo, paz, amor y muy buenos sentimientos.

 

Pulsa "Z o L" si deseas ampliar la foto.

Love is the littlest things that we do..

Triggered by gentle loving nudge to the heart

Tender gesture that is borne out of love

Insignificant to some who fail to see

For it was never meant to be shown or be seen

A priceless act of pure silent appreciation

Expression of love that is from and felt deep in the heart

A one in a lifetime kind of love...

To the lucky ones....who sees. feels and understands..

- Miu

 

"Nothing is too small. Nothing is too, quote-unquote, ordinary or insignificant. Those are the things that make up the measure of our days, and they're the things that sustain us. And they're the things that certainly can become worthy of poetry."

--Rita Dove

 

From Wikipedia: Here (on the Temple Mount) King Solomon built the First Temple almost 3,000 years ago. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, but, 70 years later, Jews returning from exile built the Second Temple on the same site. King Herod began remodeling the building in 19 BCE, but it was not completed until 63 CE, long after his death at the beginning of the century.

 

In reaction to the “Great Revolt” in 70 CE, the temple was destroyed by the Romans and deliberately left in ruins. When the Romans razed the Temple, they left one outer wall standing. They probably would have destroyed that wall as well, but it must have seemed too insignificant to them since it was not part of the Temple itself, just a retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount.

 

After the suppression of the revolt, Jews were allowed to pray on the ruins and to bring sacrifices on the alter that remained after the temple was burned down. Emperor Hadrian later gave Jews permission to rebuild the temple but changed his mind. After the Bar-Kokhba rebellion, Hadrian barred Jews from the area and they prayed instead on the Mount of Olives that overlooked the Temple Mount.

 

There is some evidence the Byzantines may have built a church on the Temple Mount at one point but the prohibition on Jews praying there remained under Emperor Constantine, who allowed them access only on Tisha B’Av. When his nephew Julian became emperor in 361, Jews were again allowed to visit the Temple Mount and were even given permission to rebuild the temple. When Julian died two years later, however, his successor canceled the project and Christian opposition to a Jewish presence continued throughout the Byzantine period.

 

At various times Jews may have been allowed to pray on the Temple Mount but, wherever they lived, Jews would pray three times a day in the direction of the Temple Mount for the temple’s restoration.

 

Following the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in May 638, which Jews supported, Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab ordered the clearing of the site and the building of a house of prayer. The Temple Mount was again opened to Jewish worshippers.

 

In 680, the Muslims built the Dome of the Rock to enshrine the outcrop of bedrock believed to be the place of the sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Nadav Shragai quotes Professor Dan Bahat who found “‘it was the Jewish elders who showed the Muslims the boundaries of the Foundation Stone,’ which was covered with garbage and sewage – boundaries from which the Muslims derived the dimensions of the Dome of the Rock, which was built above the ancient Rock.”

En un lloc remot, allí enllà

al marge i fora mà,

allà on els llimbs, qui sap on,

on no pot atalaiar-se

res de la il·lustració,

cognició, coneixement,

progrés, intento viure

en la ignorància,

en la neciesa,

on potser per una franja

insignificant de lapse

puc deixar de banda

fer cas omís, passar per alt

la confusió, el desconcert,

la vergonya, la vilesa, l'ultratge

que ens condemna a malviure.

«Δρόμοι παλιοὶ ποὺ ἀγάπησα καὶ μίσησα ἀτέλειωτα

κάτω ἀπ᾿ τοὺς ἴσκιους τῶν σπιτιῶν νὰ περπατῶ

νύχτες τῶν γυρισμῶν ἀναπότρεπτες κι ἡ πόλη νεκρὴ

Τὴν ἀσήμαντη παρουσία μου βρίσκω σὲ κάθε γωνιὰ

κᾶμε νὰ σ᾿ ἀνταμώσω κάποτε φάσμα χαμένο τοῦ τόπου μου κι ἐγὼ

Ξεχασμένος κι ἀτίθασος νὰ περπατῶ

κρατώντας μία σπίθα τρεμόσβηστη στὶς ὑγρές μου παλάμες

Καὶ προχωροῦσα μέσα στὴ νύχτα χωρὶς νὰ γνωρίζω κανένα

κι οὔτε κανένας, οὔτε κανένας μὲ γνώριζε»

Μανώλης Αναγνωστάκης, 1925-2005

 

«Old streets I loved and hated endlessly

me walking under the shadows of the houses

unavoidable nights of homecoming, and the city is dead

I find my insignificant presence in every corner

make me meet you once, lost range of desire I am too

Forgotten and untamed I walk

holding a flickering a spark in my wet palms

And there I was walking through the night without knowing anyone

and not even one, not even one knew me»

Manolis Anagnostakis, 1925-2005

The original road down into Nant Gwrtheyrn was an unpaved single-track road with unprotected edges, no passing places, 6 hairpin corners and a maximum gradient of 1 in 2½ (40%!). Thankfully it is now much improved, though still narrow, with a good tarmac surface, barriers guarding the drops, only 2 hairpins and a max gradient of 25%. Good brakes are still essential!

On the far right centre are the remains of one of the farms in the valley which pre-dated the quarries.

If you look closely (in the centre where the darkest of the blue lightens), you can see the tiny white dot of a sail - very insignificant in the vastness of the sea.

Aesthetic framing of fallen leaves on the ground of a sandy beach surrounded by stones, pebbles and seashells.

 

From a mere documentation of reality to a form of artistic expression, falling of a leaf can be an insignificant event when considered in the backdrop of huge changes taking place.. from the colossal explosion and merger of the heavenly objects in the skies to gigantic move of the tectonic plates beneath the earth. There are many more events above and beneath our Earth and the event of a leaf-fall for sure is minuscule. Dropping of a small or big leaf most of the time goes unnoticed.

 

Even towards those areas that are considered negligible, as is the case here.. Photography takes our consciousness from an inconsiderate situation to make it sensible. It echoes a deeper, more profound narrative.. these leaves whisper tales of transformation, impermanence, and the beauty of embracing change.

Located on the ground floor of the Palazzo Vecchio, the Salone dei Cinquecento was built in 1494 to the designs of Simone del Pollaiolo and commissioned by Girolamo Savonarola, the friar who encouraged the French to take the city and who later became the spiritual leader of the newly established Republic of Florence. Initially designed to house the 1,000 citizens who were the members of the Great Council of the Republic and who met in two groups of 500 (hence the name), the Salone is a vast and imposing space that was later expanded to the designs of Giorgio Vasari to house the court of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici once the Medici family had regained and solidified its political power in the city. Primarily used by the Duke for public ceremonies and as a visual centerpiece for his celebration of glory, it was when Cosimo began to utilize the space that it transformed into the incredible gem you see today.

 

The Salone was supposed to host two famous works by two incredibly talented artists, but in the end, they were sadly lost forever: Michelangelo's "Battle of Cascina" and Leonardo da Vinci's "Battle of Anghiari." The "Battle of Anghiari" fresco, like his iconic "Last Supper," fell victim to one of da Vinci's experiments in fresco techniques. Because the paint dried too slowly, the artist attempted to speed up the drying process by using hot coals in charcoal pans. This, of course, proved to be a disastrous idea and led to the work melting before the eyes of desperate viewers. Michelangelo, on the other hand, was commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel before he could finish his fresco for the Salone, and his sketches were lost forever when a horde of wild young artists came to study these drawings and simply made off with pieces of them.

 

Yet, despite these not insignificant losses of what might have been some of the greatest works of art ever created, the Salone is not short of artistic gems today. In fact, it is often seen as the jewel of the Palazzo Vecchio, and this is due to the pieces that adorn the room today. There is a wonderful series of works in the Salone that were executed between 1555 and 1572 by Vasari, his assistants, and students. As the culmination of Mannerism, the room houses a decorative scheme that reaches its height (literally and physically) in the coffered ceiling, raised to a height of seven meters by Cosimo and decorated with 42 panels containing painted images of the glory of Florence and, in particular, of the Medici. The central panel depicts Cosimo in apotheosis; around it are allegories of the districts of Florence and Tuscany in an act of submission to the Duke, and there are also portraits of some of Vasari's collaborators. On the lower walls are six different scenes from the Pisan War and the Sienese War. In addition to the paintings on the walls and ceiling, we can also admire other works of art in the room, including statues of members of the Medici family and the two Medici popes, Leo X and Clement VII.

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