View allAll Photos Tagged optimism
Optimistic about the warmth, I put on a dress, and some open-toed sandals. Halfway through the day, I had to rush home and put on some pants. Still, we're growing closer.
Making my way home from the pub, I thought that I'd try a photo of the
moon. With no tripod. As a result, I was overjoyed with how well this
turned out i.e. not abysmal.
Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.
Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.
The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).
The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.
Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.
Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.
However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).
The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.
The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-
I used my bike light to illuminate this - not entirely sure I'm happy with the result :P
As seen on Valencia, near 24th with the youthful* bendycam 19.
*guest adjective provided today by the always lovely Briony
Thomas Schütte’s sculpture for the Fourth Plinth in the north west of Trafalgar Square - Model for a Hotel 2007 - was unveiled on Wednesday 7 November 2007.
Thomas Schütte is one of the most important artists of his generation. Since the 1970s he has produced a diverse body of work, including figurative sculpture, architectural models, ceramics and watercolours. The German artist's sculpture Model for a Hotel 2007 is an architectural model of a twenty-one storey building. It is made of specially engineered coloured glass which will collect and reflect the light.
Taken at the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff 26/03/16
The weather did its best but the atmosphere couldnt be dampened, great fun had by athletes and spectators. Massive respect to all who took part
Louisiana is reported to be losing 25 to 35 square miles of coastal wetlands each year – one football field of land per hour. The causes of the land loss are from natural causes and human interference, and include reduced sediment flow from the Mississippi River and its tributaries, land subsidence, and sea-level rise. To combat the diminishing and degrading coastal habitats, Jefferson Parish instituted a program that found a role for discarded Christmas trees to lessen wave energy and to combat erosion. Wooden cribs are constructed parallel to the shoreline to hold the trees. Volunteers, the Louisiana Air National Guard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others have coordinated the collection and placement of trees in these pens to lessen the impact of waves and storms. The calm water between the cribs and coast traps sediment and allows for plants and aquatic life to establish. Jefferson Parish has been tracking the impact of this Christmas tree recycling project. Between 1998 and 2015, an unprotected area of shoreline lost over 23 acres of habitat, while a section protected by trees only lost 3 acres. The Christmas tree recycling program not only assists coastal habitats but generates awareness among Louisiana residents and provides an opportunity for participation in making a difference for the coast.
The quilt is to be viewed from the top to the bottom, representing a relative sequence over time as viewed at one location. No quantitative data is implied in terms of spatial or temporal patterns sewn. Each horizontal gray strip of fabric represents breaks in time. At the top of the quilt, one sees a wide strip of “plant” fabric representing a marsh coastline, and a smaller piece of “water” fabric representing the coastal water. As one moves down to the next row of plant/water fabric, there is less of the land fabric and more of the water fabric. This is to represent erosion occurring along the Louisiana coast, where marsh habitat is being lost from wave energy, subsidence, seal-level rise, etc. As one moves down the next several rows, there is a continued loss of the coast with an increasing encroachment of water. In the middle of the quilt, a Christmas tree crib appears. The successive rows show a reduction in loss of the marsh over time, reflecting the results shared by Jefferson Parish (still marsh loss but less volume when the Christmas trees were put in place).
This is my story of coastal optimism – a story of habitat loss and degradation that is slowed by the placement of discarded Christmas trees.
Open-air amphitheatre at the back of the Brutalist BT Tower in glasgow. Vandalised. In my head I can visualise the architect's drawing with the little people sitting about, reading their newspapers and eating lunch.
Early-mid 1990s slide.
Taken with Minolta MD Auto-Bellows I, Minolta MD Macro-Rokkor 50mm f3.5 and Slide Copier.
... and influences.
Mannings amusements, Felixstowe, Suffolk. Sadly shrinking, little of the fairground survives but, two generations on, "family fun" is still to be had here it seems.
This shot was taken on her last day at my working place before heading for a farewell dinner...And here I am posting this shot here. Farewell for now, Yen Yen.
And I will still be your foodie mate. ;-) lols
(Location Shot : 25th floor at some weird high rise building. Apparently the sun was about to set so I made her stand and be 'hero'. LOLS.)
Detail of the Baptistry Window, a masterpiece of abstract stained glass designed by John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens.
Coventry's Cathedral is a unique synthesis of old a new, born of wartime suffering and forged in the spirit of postwar optimism, famous for it's history and for being the most radically modern of Anglican cathedrals. Two cathedral's stand side by side, the ruins of the medieval building, destroyed by incendiary bombs in 1940 and the bold new building designed by Basil Spence and opened in 1962.
It is a common misconception that Coventry lost it's first cathedral in the wartime blitz, but the bombs actually destroyed it's second; the original medieval cathedral was the monastic St Mary's, a large cruciform building believed to have been similar in appearance to Lichfield Cathedral (whose diocese it shared). Tragically it became the only English cathedral to be destroyed during the Reformation, after which it was quickly quarried away, leaving only scant fragments, but enough evidence survives to indicate it's rich decoration (some pieces were displayed nearby in the Priory Visitors Centre, sadly since closed). Foundations of it's apse were found during the building of the new cathedral in the 1950s, thus technically three cathedrals share the same site.
The mainly 15th century St Michael's parish church became the seat of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918, and being one of the largest parish churches in the country it was upgraded to cathedral status without structural changes (unlike most 'parish church' cathedrals created in the early 20th century). It lasted in this role a mere 22 years before being burned to the ground in the 1940 Coventry Blitz, leaving only the outer walls and the magnificent tapering tower and spire (the extensive arcades and clerestoreys collapsed completely in the fire, precipitated by the roof reinforcement girders, installed in the Victorian restoration, that buckled in the intense heat).
The determination to rebuild the cathedral in some form was born on the day of the bombing, however it wasn't until the mid 1950s that a competition was held and Sir Basil Spence's design was chosen. Spence had been so moved by experiencing the ruined church he resolved to retain it entirely to serve as a forecourt to the new church. He envisaged the two being linked by a glass screen wall so that the old church would be visible from within the new.
Built between 1957-62 at a right-angle to the ruins, the new cathedral attracted controversy for it's modern form, and yet some modernists argued that it didn't go far enough, after all there are echoes of the Gothic style in the great stone-mullioned windows of the nave and the net vaulting (actually a free-standing canopy) within. What is exceptional is the way art has been used as such an integral part of the building, a watershed moment, revolutionising the concept of religious art in Britain.
Spence employed some of the biggest names in contemporary art to contribute their vision to his; the exterior is adorned with Jacob Epstein's triumphant bronze figures of Archangel Michael (patron of the cathedral) vanquishing the Devil. At the entrance is the remarkable glass wall, engraved by John Hutton with strikingly stylised figures of saints and angels, and allowing the interior of the new to communicate with the ruin. Inside, the great tapestry of Christ in majesty surrounded by the evangelistic creatures, draws the eye beyond the high altar; it was designed by Graham Sutherland and was the largest tapestry ever made.
However one of the greatest features of Coventry is it's wealth of modern stained glass, something Spence resolved to include having witnessed the bleakness of Chartres Cathedral in wartime, all it's stained glass having been removed. The first window encountered on entering is the enormous 'chess-board' baptistry window filled with stunning abstract glass by John Piper & Patrick Reyntiens, a symphony of glowing colour. The staggered nave walls are illuminated by ten narrow floor to ceiling windows filled with semi-abstract symbolic designs arranged in pairs of dominant colours (green, red, multi-coloured, purple/blue and gold) representing the souls journey to maturity, and revealed gradually as one approaches the altar. This amazing project was the work of three designers lead by master glass artist Lawrence Lee of the Royal College of Art along with Keith New and Geoffrey Clarke (each artist designed three of the windows individually and all collaborated on the last).
The cathedral still dazzles the visitor with the boldness of it's vision, but alas, half a century on, it was not a vision to be repeated and few of the churches and cathedrals built since can claim to have embraced the synthesis of art and architecture in the way Basil Spence did at Coventry.
The cathedral is generally open to visitors most days. For more see below:-