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'Nespresso' coffee capsule for the Strobist Cooking Light assignment. This is a small orange capsule with a silver foil cap. I wanted to try to play the complimentary blue off the orange capsule colour to get some dynamic play between the colours and create some depth/ drama.
Strobist info. The 'stage' is an inverted collander, with a SB-28 inside, set to about 1/8th power and a wide beam/zoom, with a PW Multi II to trigger. That gives the background and light/ reflections for the orange flares.
I then used a Canon 580EX with a blue gel to the camera right, with a grid over the front to direct the blue colour to just the foil. Had to play around a bit with the angles to ensure that the blue hit the foil only and reflected in to the camera, but that I wasn't getting a real strong direct reflection, so feathered it slightly and caught it more on the edge of the beam. Had originally tried to bounce some light from a blue card but the reflections were problematic. There is a small piece of putty just behind the coffee capsule to raise the face up from the silver background so that I can bounce the light in at the right angles from the flash.
Reading Light Science & Magic last night helped a lot with the discussions of families of angles and lighting surfaces independently.
Learn how to light at Strobist.
This impressive Miss Havisham style champagne glass fountain was one of the standout installations of the Rone "Empire" exhibition. Long after the champagne, and the love, has dried up, the glasses remain as a reminder of what once was.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface. The Dining Room features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.
Although all the rooms of the Rone - Empire installation exhibition are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Dining Room is one. As a well proportioned and elegant space, it runs over half of the original Burnham Beeches floor plan. It features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of found dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I personally found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Dining Room is one. The Study is the other. It features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.
Newer modern design for the suites at Citadines Tour Eiffel.
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Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 2.8/16-35
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I had the pleasure of staying at Citadines - Tour Eiffel for 3 nights during my visit to Paris. Located in the former village of Grenelle, Citadines - Tour Eiffel is in a prime location situated across from a major metro hub with tons of cafes, restaurants, and marketplaces all within walking distance. It is also quite close to the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, Invalides, and Champs des Mars. In fact, while staying there, I was able to easily take the metro across the street to Versailles (with a transfer) for the day which made things quite convenient.
The really cool thing about the hotel is that some of the rooms on the upper floors of the hotel feature really beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower. If you follow my Instagram, I posted a video of the Eiffel Tower's light show that I filmed with my phone from the window of my room at Citadines - Tour Eiffel. It's a pretty impressive view!
However, what makes this hotel standout from many others is that it is known as an aparthotel or apartment hotel because it also functions as a place to stay for extended periods of time if you wish. People can stay for a few nights, a few weeks, a month, a few months, even a year if that is what they wish. This makes this a great place for families or individuals looking to relocate who may need a habitable living space centrally located in the city they are trying to relocate to. It also makes it a great place for people who are looking to try to live in a city to get a feel for the city while having the comforts of home.
An intriguing facet of staying at an aparthotel is that not only do you have the comforts that you would associate with an apartment such as a fully functional kitchen and living area but you get the amenities and benefits of hotel living as well. For example, Citadines aparthotels offer various cleaning arrangements for all guests as well as other perks that you would typically associate with staying in a hotel. Only you can enjoy these perks during your extended stay in any of the Citadines locations all over Europe and the Asia Pacific.
I had a great stay during my time in Paris. I had the misfortune of getting quite sick with bronchitis while in Paris and the staff at Citadines Tour Eiffel were really wonderful when it came to getting me the medical help I needed and making my stay pleasant while I recovered. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a Monoprix right across the street. The Monoprix there had a huge grocery section which allowed me to buy reasonably priced groceries that I was able to store in the refrigerator. This was a great relief to my wallet since it let me save on certain meals since I could use the kitchen in my room.
And of course, I loved the views. But that goes without saying, right? :)
--- Read a dedicated post about the hotel with explanations of each photo here:
Citadines - Tour Eiffel - Rooms with a View
--
Interested in viewing all of my Paris posts so far? Here they are:
Looking for these (and more) Paris photos to view larger? Here you go (click or tap on each photo to view larger):
---
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
This was the best shot I got of this wonderful classic, but I didn't like the background. I made a few edits and, voila, here it is.
Modern amenities and design featuring washer/dryers and sleek appliances.
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Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 2.8/16-35
---
I had the pleasure of staying at Citadines - Tour Eiffel for 3 nights during my visit to Paris. Located in the former village of Grenelle, Citadines - Tour Eiffel is in a prime location situated across from a major metro hub with tons of cafes, restaurants, and marketplaces all within walking distance. It is also quite close to the Eiffel Tower, the Seine, Invalides, and Champs des Mars. In fact, while staying there, I was able to easily take the metro across the street to Versailles (with a transfer) for the day which made things quite convenient.
The really cool thing about the hotel is that some of the rooms on the upper floors of the hotel feature really beautiful views of the Eiffel Tower. If you follow my Instagram, I posted a video of the Eiffel Tower's light show that I filmed with my phone from the window of my room at Citadines - Tour Eiffel. It's a pretty impressive view!
However, what makes this hotel standout from many others is that it is known as an aparthotel or apartment hotel because it also functions as a place to stay for extended periods of time if you wish. People can stay for a few nights, a few weeks, a month, a few months, even a year if that is what they wish. This makes this a great place for families or individuals looking to relocate who may need a habitable living space centrally located in the city they are trying to relocate to. It also makes it a great place for people who are looking to try to live in a city to get a feel for the city while having the comforts of home.
An intriguing facet of staying at an aparthotel is that not only do you have the comforts that you would associate with an apartment such as a fully functional kitchen and living area but you get the amenities and benefits of hotel living as well. For example, Citadines aparthotels offer various cleaning arrangements for all guests as well as other perks that you would typically associate with staying in a hotel. Only you can enjoy these perks during your extended stay in any of the Citadines locations all over Europe and the Asia Pacific.
I had a great stay during my time in Paris. I had the misfortune of getting quite sick with bronchitis while in Paris and the staff at Citadines Tour Eiffel were really wonderful when it came to getting me the medical help I needed and making my stay pleasant while I recovered. I really enjoyed the fact that there was a Monoprix right across the street. The Monoprix there had a huge grocery section which allowed me to buy reasonably priced groceries that I was able to store in the refrigerator. This was a great relief to my wallet since it let me save on certain meals since I could use the kitchen in my room.
And of course, I loved the views. But that goes without saying, right? :)
--- Read a dedicated post about the hotel with explanations of each photo here:
Citadines - Tour Eiffel - Rooms with a View
--
Interested in viewing all of my Paris posts so far? Here they are:
Looking for these (and more) Paris photos to view larger? Here you go (click or tap on each photo to view larger):
---
View my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.
Interested in my work and have questions about PR and media? Check out my:
About Page | PR Page | Media Page
To use any of my photos commercially, feel free to contact me via email at photos@nythroughthelens.com
Although all the rooms of the Rone - Empire installation exhibition are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study is one of them. It features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study is one. The Dining Room features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.
Although all the rooms of the Rone - Empire installation exhibition are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study is one of them. It features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Study is one. The Dining Room features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.
1976 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, at Montrose Beach.
Uptown, Chicago, Illinois.
Friday, September 2, 2022.
Labor Day weekend.
From a trip to the Rose Garden awhile back. There weren't many blooms that caught my eye, but this one did.
People call it the “crown jewel” of the Oregon State Parks system, and once you visit, you know why. Silver Falls State Park is the kind of standout scenic treasure that puts Oregon firmly onto the national—and international—stage. Its beauty, boundless recreational opportunities and historic presence keep it there. Nestled in the foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains, less than an hour east of the state capital of Salem, Oregon, the sprawling 9,200 acre property is the largest state park in Oregon, and one of the most popular.
Waterfalls: Where else can you walk behind a waterfall? Check out the famous South Falls and see what a 177-foot curtain of water looks like from behind. It’s part of the Trail of Ten Falls, a spectacular, nationally recognized hiking trail that weaves through a dense forested landscape. The trail passes a series of breathtaking waterfalls along a rocky canyon, and descends to a winding creek at the forest floor. This 7.2 mile loop is considered to be a moderate hike, with an overall elevation change of 800 feet. Several connecting trails with separate access points make shorter routes. For everyone’s safety— absolutely no pets.
Boots, bikes, paws, hooves: The park offers more than 25 miles of backcountry trails for mountain biking, hiking or horseback riding. The trails are lined with lush vegetation and remnants of old-growth forests. Wildlife is abundant. Bears and cougars live in the more remote park areas.
Daytime activities: The South Falls Day-use area has spacious lawns, barbecue stands, picnic shelters, tables, a playground, horseshoe pits, an off lead area for dogs, and a charming creek. Ever since the opening day in 1933, visitors have been using these grounds for potlucks, family reunions and weddings, all within a short walk to view the famous 177-foot South Falls.
Overnight: The main campground has tent sites, RV spots and cabins. Bring your horse and stay in the horse campground. If you need an area for many people, the park also has group tent and RV camps, dormitory-style bunkhouses (each Ranch sleeps 75) and the historic Youth Camp for up to 250 campers.
The Silver Falls Lodge and Conference Center offers a variety of amenities for all visitors to the park. Relax and enjoy comfortable lodging within the wooded setting, or feast at the many catered specialty events. Enjoy a preordered meal at the historic dining hall or order a box lunch to take on a hike or to your campsite. They also specialize in hosting special events! For more information please visit silverfallslodge.com or call 866-575-8875.
Red Apple standing out amongst the green apples
When using this image please provide photo credit (link) to: www.flazingo.com per these terms: www.flazingo.com/creativecommons
My photographs are my private property and are copyright © by me, John Russell (aka “Zoom Lens”) and all my rights are reserved.
Karen’s brightly coloured clothing made her standout from everyone else on the street as she walked towards me with her boyfriend Tom. How could I not step forward and ask if I could photographer her for my stranger project? Karen said yes without hesitation and told me she is often stopped by people wanting to photograph her.
We’d met by a building that had a grey wall and I thought that would make an ideal backdrop to photograph Karen against. Due to having a solid colour background with little variation in tone has resulted in an image that looks like it could have been taken in a studio rather than on the street.
Karen was in Nottingham on a shopping trip. Karen is originally from Hull and has lived in Nottingham for the last 16 years. She runs a tea room in Hucknall called Mrs C’s Vintage Tea Room. You can find out more about it here: www.facebook.com/MrsCsVintageTeaRoom/?locale=en_GB and here: www.instagram.com/mrscsvintagetearoom/ British viewers of antique TV programmes will be able to spot a well-known presenter with Karen.
Karen’s hobbies include eating and going to gigs. As you’ll have already guessed Karen has a massive interest in vintage clothing and lifestyles but told me she is also a goth by night.
I asked Karen to describe herself in one word and she said barmy – something Tom confirmed.
If Karen where to meet her younger self what words of advice would she pass on? “Be yourself and be confident in everything you do no matter how old you are,” she said.
If I could grant Karen a wish what it be for? “To be ten years younger,” she replied, then explained the reason why, “so there wouldn’t be such a big gap between my age and Tom’s.”
Thank-you Karen for saying yes to being a stranger for me. I hope you like your portrait.
This picture is number 454 in my 100 Strangers project, yes, I’ve decided to do a fifth round. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
This is my 416th submission to the Human Family Group. To view more street portraits and stories visit www.flickr.com/groups/thehumanfamily/
Although all the rooms of the Rone - Empire installation exhibition are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Dining Room is one. As a well proportioned and elegant space, it runs over half of the original Burnham Beeches floor plan. It features two long tables covered in a Miss Havisham like feast of a trove of found dinner table objects from silverware and glassware to empty oyster shells and vases of grasses and feathers.
The Dining Room installation I personally found especially confronting. In 1982, I visited Burnham Beeches when it was a smart and select hotel and had Devonshire tea in the dining room at a table alongside the full length windows overlooking the terraces below. I was shocked to see a room I remember appointed with thick carpets and tables covered in gleaming silver and white napery, strewn with dust and leaves, and adorned with Miss Havisham's feast of found dining objects.
Melbourne based street artist Rone (Tyrone Wright) used the decaying glory of the 1933 Harry Norris designed Streamline Moderne mansion, Burnham Beeches in the Dandenong Ranges' Sherbrooke, between March the 6th and April 22nd to create an immersive hybrid art space for his latest installation exhibition; "Empire".
"Empire" combined a mixture of many different elements including art, sound, light, scent, found objects, botanic designs, objects from nature and music especially composed for the project by Nick Batterham. The Burnham Beeches project re-imagines and re-interprets the spirit of one of Victoria’s landmark mansions, seldom seen by the public and not accessed since the mid 1980s. According to Rone - Empire website; "viewers are invited to consider what remains - the unseen cultural, social, artistic and spiritual heritage which produces intangible meaning."
Rone was invited by the current owner of Burnham Beeches, restaurateur Shannon Bennett, to exhibit "Empire" during a six week interim period before renovations commence to convert the heritage listed mansion into a select six star hotel.
Rone initially imagined the mansion to be in a state of dereliction, but found instead that it was a stripped back blank canvas for him to create his own version of how he thought it should look. Therefore, almost all the decay is in fact of Rone's creation from grasses in the Games Room which 'grow' next to a rotting billiards table, to the damp patches, water staining and smoke damage on the ceilings. Nests of leaves fill some spaces, whilst tree branches and in one case an entire avenue of boughs sprout from walls and ceilings. Especially designed Art Deco wallpaper created in Rone's studio has been installed on the walls before being distressed and damaged. The rooms have been adorned with furnishings and objects that might once have graced the twelve original rooms of Burnham Beeches: bulbulous club sofas, half round Art Deco tables, tarnished silverware and their canteen, mirrored smoke stands of chrome and Bakelite, glass lamps, English dinner services, a glass drinks trolley, photos of people long forgotten in time, walnut veneer dressing tables reflecting the installation sometimes in triplicate, old wire beadsteads, luggage, shelves of books, an Underwood typewriter, a John Broadwood and Sons of London grand piano and even a Kriesler radiogramme. All these objects were then covered in a thick sheet or light sprinkling of 'dust' made of many different things including coffee grinds and talcum powder, creating a sensation for the senses. Burnham Beeches resonated with a ghostly sense of its former grandeur, with a whiff of bittersweet romance.
Throughout the twelve rooms, magnificent and beautifully haunting floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall portraits of Australian actress Lily Sullivan, star of the Foxtel re-make of Picnic at Hanging Rock, appear. Larger than life, each portrait is created in different colours, helping to create seasonal shifts as you move from room to room.
Although all the rooms are amazing for many different reasons, there are two major standouts. The Dining Room is one. The Study is the other. It features walls of books covered with a portrait of Lily Sullivan, and the entire room is partially submerged in a lake of black water with the occasional red oak leaf floating across its glassy surface.
I feel very honoured and privileged to be amongst the far too few people fortunate enough to have seen Rone's "Empire", as like the seasons, it is ephemeral, and it will already have been dismantled. Rone's idea is that, like his street art, things he creates don't last forever, and that made the project exciting. I hope that my photographs do justice to, and adequately share as much as is possible of this amazing installation with you.