January 2006
- 1
Manchester
It seems traditional to identify with the city where you live, and expound on its many delights. I’ve lived in Manchester for about 10 years, and I’ve never liked it and never will. It has too much industrial weight, reflected in ugly architecture from the Victorian era. And it’s in the North of England meaning it’s characteristically grey and rainy, much of the reason for the success of the water-driven cotton mills in the general…
- 3
Literature, Creativity, Jung and Photography
“The mind of Man is fram’d even like the breath And harmony of music. There is a dark Invisible workmanship that reconciles Discordant elements, and makes them move In one society.” ~ William Wordsworth, The Prelude, Book 1 Introduction Writing is an especially fluid creative medium. The parameters and possibilities are almost unlimited, defined by the multifarious variety of language. Writing is intimately linked to psychological process, some of which is conscious and easily described, and some of which is not. Journal…
- 10
Photography In Manchester
I wrote a somewhat critical and negative appraisal of Manchester recently and want to balance it with a more specific, and perhaps more favourable commentary. Certainly, one with some practical benefits: ideas for photography in Manchester. In the centre, Albert Square has some nice cobbles in front of an impressive Town Hall: In December, there’s a craft fair and market stall. I enjoyed it the first time – fairy lights, festive vibes, that kind of thing; but…
- 20
Susan Sontag
At university I used to enjoy browsing the library shelves, free from any curriculum concerns, finding randomly interesting books. When I graduated with my literature degree I had some spare time for a few months and continued visiting the library, returning to my former interest before being engrossed in literature: photography. I found Susan Sontag’s On Photography and was amazed to discover such a critical study, that it was possible to apply a sociological, political…
- 27
Mental And Depictive Space
Traditionally, a photograph is a piece of paper coated with light sensitive metallic salts; that is flat, has edges, and is static. A photograph is a physical object frequently placed in an album, frame or wallet. The frame, defined first by the photographer and secondarily by the owner – if not the same person – is part of the transformative process, rendering an abbreviated moment into a permanent 2D representation. In addition to this literal…