HOME

Latest Blog Posts
July 25, 2024I’ve just returned from a bucket-list trip to the Gnaoua Music Festival which takes place yearly in Essaioura, a breezy coastal town in Morocco. I was first introduced to this genre of music, also known as Gnawa, over thirty years ago. An album called Night Spirit Masters: Gnawa Music of Marrakesh produced by the late Bill Laswell literally entranced me. Decades later, I finally made it to the festival together with my husband Stephen. Abstract with Palm Tree/ View from the side of the Beach Stage, Essaouira Festival Poster featuring Gnaoua castanets known as krakeb/ qaraqueb, Essaouira, 2024 One of the features of this festival is that some of the concerts are collaborations between Moroccan masters of traditional Gnaoua music known as Ma’alems and international musicians playing a variety of genres. A Maalem is usually the lead singer and plays a bass-like stringed instrument called a Guembri. Below, a shot taken in a Gnawa Music store in Essaouira. The owner Hajoub demonstrated the Guembri. Behind him are rows of the metal percussion instruments called qaraqueb. Hajoub demonstrating the Guembri at his Gnawa Music Shop On the opening evening of the festival I was privileged to catch an incredible fusion concert featuring artists from Morocco, The Ivory Coast, Spain and Brazil. The participating Brazilian act were Ilê Aiyê, an Afro-bloco carnival group from Salvador, Bahia, We’d spent a week in Morocco prior to the festival. The day before the opening ceremony, at a cafe on the Medina, I was sitting on a stool facing the window and saw some brightly dressed people walking past. I recognised them as members of Ilê Aiyê and told my husband that I was going to try and catch up with them: Members of Ilê Aiyê walking past Mandala Society Cafe in the Medina, Essaouira Catching up with some band members Dancers walking in the Medina Beleza in the Medina The following morning I was walking along the seafront when once again I spotted some of the musicians: I reintroduced myself and they posed for some photos – here’s a group shot: Percussionists on the seafront Next a series of images taken during a daytime performance by the group on Day 2 of the Festival at The Sqala, a historic fortress by the port of Essaouira: A member of the public joins in with some Capoeira moves Ilê Aiyê have been touring Europe and are playing London’s Barbican Centre this coming Friday 26 July alongside Margareth Menezes. I’m looking forward to seeing them again! Links https://www.ileaiye.org.br https://www.festival-gnaoua.net/en/homepage/ Related posts: Portraits over the weekend New Images of Dance at London’s Afro Cuban Night Dance Like Nobody’s Watching – Images of Movement in a Domestic Space Roses are Red – The Sant Jordy Festival in Girona [...] Read more...
July 4, 2024This blog is devoted to the representation of roses. I’ve encountered roses in a variety of ways in the last few months; these images encompass different genres including documentary, fashion, still life, travel and street photography. Barcelona: Architecture decorated with large fabric roses in anticipation of the Sant Jordi Festival, April 2024 Last year I wrote a piece about the Sant Jordi Festival in Girona, a Catalan St. George’s Day celebration where books and red roses are traditionally handed out to loved ones. In April 2024 I revisited Girona via Barcelona with my husband who was out there for a cycling trip. We were due to return to London on the actual day of the festival. However, a serious cycling accident (his second in 12 months) meant that Stephen was hospitalised in Girona for several days before and after the festival. Initially he was in intensive care but was moved to a trauma ward after a couple of days. Stephen receiving a Sant Jordi red rose from me in the trauma ward The following photographs were taken at the Josep Trueta Hospital in Girona: Medical Students selling roses outside the Josep Trueta hospital during the Sant Jordi Festival Passing security on Sant Jordi day Doctors’ feet and symbolic Sant Jordi foyer display at Josep Trueta Hospital Red rose in pulp urinal On my daily walks to and from the hospital I encountered walkers carrying the long stemmed red rose: Elsewhere in Girona during Sant Jordi: Books and Roses Strolling with red roses was ubiquitous; not exclusive to Catholicism Multi Generational celebration Market Stall Hanging out on the bridge I had been feeling extremely anxious, lonely and sorry for myself when the woman in the coffee shop I’d been visiting handed out tiny red roses to the customers. I thought it was a lovely gesture and took a partial selfie as a souvenir: The last few months have been challenging and on returning to London I found myself finding solace and relaxation in the beauty and aromas of the Queen Mary Rose Gardens in London’s Regents Park. Woman visiting Queen Mary’s Rose Garden – her name happened to be Rosie Sleeping amongst the roses I revisited the park a couple of weeks later and it was pouring with rain: Sheltering from the rain Just after the rain Vibrant roses after the rain Matching hair to the appropriately named Rock & Roll rose. Next, a series of images on the theme of roses and personal style where the iconic flower is recreated in either fabric of print form. Sinead Brid who also creates flower crowns and headdresses caught relaxing after a London Colour Walk James from the London Bookbarge Word on the Water wearing a hat accessorised with a white rose Writer and Co-founder of the Advantages of Age, Rose Rouse, snapped from behind at a recent Word on the Water poetry reading Baby in decorative rose-patterned turban, Hyde Park Marisa Mendez at the London Colour Walk, March 2024 At Kings Cross, woman in rose petal heart-shaped bodice Creative outfit featuring vintage rose print fabric. The designer is seated on steps by Central St.Martins, an arts university in Granary Square An appropriate rose patterned umbrella at a wet Bloomsbury in Bloom, May 2024 Family outing to London’s Day of the Dead Celebration George Skeggs aka Soho George at the 2024 Grand Flaneur Walk in stylish monochrome with white rose lapel pin Finally a couple of shots from Essaouira in Morocco where Stephen and I just visited for a music festival. More on Essaiouria to follow! Cafe table with sleeping cat and roses, Essaouira Roses at Villa Maroc in Essaouira Related posts: Roses are Red – The Sant Jordy Festival in Girona hamsa and the representation of hands in graffiti Venice Carnival Part 1: masquerade and fancy dress A Year of Roses [...] Read more...
May 31, 2024The other day I popped into Kew Gardens. Admiring one of Mark Quinn’s nature-inspired sculptures, I took a selfie at a moment when the half term crowds were not in the frame, and the reflected landscape had a flowing, painterly quality. In addition to the instant painting, which appeals to the lazy/ time-efficient artist in me, depending on one’s perspective, I also like the way my body and trousers are distorted to form a kind of cropped hieroglyph. Below, another selfie taken earlier in the year in Soho featuring surreal vertical footprints: I’ve selected a number of images taken so far in 2024 that include some form of reflection. The following photographs have building facades as part of the mix: Filmic Reflections, Earlham Street Dreaming of Saxophones Brass Hand Illusion The image below features a section of musical score from the Brazilian film Bicho de Sete Cabecas. Shadows are cast on Gui Tavares’ hand, musician and director of vocal group Nossa Voz, who I’ve been singing with since 2024: In the next image, the guitarist from the band Amaraterra is juxtaposed with fairy lights and a reflected Kenneth Town: Above, another recent reflection from Kentish Town (see my Persian Kentish Town Gallery) Here’s Looking at You, Kid / It’s All Happening on Oxford Street Abstract Landscape After the Rain, Covent Garden Chequered London Cityscape Mannequin Illusion Red and Yellow in Soho Next, a couple of reflections taken at bus stops and on trains: A few shots taken at Bar Italia, Soho: L’amore Top Hat, Cane and Michelangelo Saturday Night Fever, Little Italy Below, a dapper dude seen at the 2024 Grand Flaneur Walk. Also an opportunity for a selfie in his mirror shades: My husband Stephen before setting off for a ride in Girona, Catalunya, Spain in April 2024. You can seen bike wheels reflected in his shades. Unfortunately this ride resulted in a serious accident which he is now recovering well from. More reflections from Catalunya: Artichokes in Barcelona Lego in Gaudi’s Barcelona Eiffel Bridge and Reflections, Onyar River, Girona Tapas Bar Abstract, Girona Above, taken during a spring festival performance in Girona a brass band musician is reflected in his instrument. Three images that include mirror reflections. Firstly a street abstract with torn posters and reflected nature in a scooter mirror: Street Abstract with Scooter Mirror Reflection Maur Valance in the Mirror, Kings Cross Above, at the Design Museum during their exhibition Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion, a visitor sits at a recreated backstage make-up booth with interactive augmented reality mirrors. And finally one from yesterday – on a visit to Granary Square in Kings Cross, a view of the Regent’s Canal with reflected footbridge and clouds. Regent’s Canal, Kings Cross Related posts: Street Abstracts & Illusions featuring London Buses Surreal Facades: Illusions and Reflections in London’s Streets On Scooters Journey Towards the Last Days of Autumn [...] Read more...
March 18, 2024At the Tate Gallery Exhibition, Women in Revolt, which celebrates 20 years of of feminist art and Activism in the UK between 1970 and 1990, I was reminded of the influence that some of the photographers had on my own personal work, especially that of the late Jo Spence whose project Beyond the Family Album particularly resonated with me. As I understand it, one of Spence’s motivations was to make representations of what tends to be taboo or omitted from the idealised selection displayed in family albums. Family albums were still a feature of my generation’s upbringing and were usually ‘curated’ to show happy events and celebrations and to show people at their best. One could argue that since the advent of social media, the public disclosure of what had hitherto been considered private, personal information is in some ways an extension of the concept of opening up the boundaries of self-representation. Posting the minutiae of daily life has lead to what many consider oversharing. Bearing the risk of oversharing in mind, here are some recent images influenced by Jo Spence’s narrative. These photographs try to go beyond the standard themes of the family album genre, using my mother’s personal artefacts as inspiration . Above, my 86 year old mother’s slippers, taken in 2023. It’s a still life; her golden mules on her pink fitted carpet. My feelings about this oscillate between sadness and acceptance. At first I was upset and rather judgemental at seeing how worn out they were, as if they somehow represented a neglectful decline from a once glamorous existence. I tried to tell her nicely about them, using a health and safety argument, but she immediately retorted “so what, they’re comfortable”. So I tried to see it from her point of view – slippers are supposed to be comfortable, aren’t they? The next few images are also recent photographs from a project documenting my mother. Below, a display with empty perfume bottles on the window sill of her bathroom, followed by a still life featuring a glass filled with stones collected from her travels, topped with a doily and net flower:. Above, my mum at her dressing table a few months ago. This photo is in many ways an update of one taken several decades ago which also features in my post Woman at a Dressing Table: Next, some more images from my archives. In the image below my late father is captured during his weekly Sunday ritual of washing the car,. I think the photo dates from some time in the 1980s. My mum looking at her old personal album – circa 1990 The above image was taken in the early 1990s and is a self-portrait and souvenir of my time breastfeeding. I can’t remember exactly how I took it but the final image was shot off a TV monitor. More recently, a close up details of my husband Stephen taken whilst in intensive care in hospital following a serious cycling accident in May 2023: And finally an experimental self portrait using imagery that emerged during psychotherapy and which was also used as a basis for a painting: Related posts: People in trees Dalia: the older the violin the sweeter the music Conga Drums and Nostalgia Exploring identity in self-portraiture: looking back in time [...] Read more...
December 24, 2023According to some family elders when I was a young kid, although I was generally very obedient, compliant and well-behaved, there was something I would regularly say that disrupted the stereotype. This phrase was, why should I? I remember being teased by some relatives, exaggerating and elongating the way I pronounced “shhhoould”. Decades later, I’m still prone to thinking independently and questioning assumptions. In this post I’ve gathered photographs I’ve taken that feature the question mark symbol. As opposed to the exclamation mark, which is more commonly seen in graffiti and signage, I’ve found the question mark is not regularly on display in the streets so I tend to take notice when I see it. On a recent trip to New York whilst waiting for a train on a subway platform I found myself sitting next to a woman wearing a large question mark earring. I asked if I could take her picture and I took it as a sign to sort through my images on this theme. Question Mark Earring, NYC 2023 Another question mark accessory that caught my eye was a badge, designed and worn by fellow photographer Richard Kaby. Below, a photograph taken at the London Colour Walk in November, 2022: Richard Kaby’s Question Mark Badge The other day I was chatting with Richard and told him about the theme of this blog and that I was going to include an image of his question mark badge. We were discussing the concept and the importance of asking why? and he said that for him it also went hand in hand with why not?. Funnily enough whilst in New York I had taken a view from the hotel window precisely because the outside of a building in the distance had been graffitied with the words Why... and to it’s side WHY NOT? Why… Why Not? Lower East Side View & Graffiti Below, one of my earliest photographs containing a question mark. I was amused and bemused by this sign, seen in a subway station in New York back in 2010. I googled the reference; the hotline number apparently received many calls but it was in fact an advertising campaign promoting a comedy film: Still a Virgin? New York subway sign, 2010 The representation of a question mark can come in surprising forms. One day, on leaving my apartment I looked down at the pavement and noticed a hair extension that formed the illusion of the shape of a question mark: Pavement Abstract: Found hair accessory in the form of a question mark, 2023 Below, a few shots where the question mark felt mysterious: Red Question Mark, Hampstead Heath, 2010 Red question mark on mossy tree stump, Hampstead Heath, 2012 Question Mark and Llama stencil graffiti, Tel Aviv, 2014. The mystery of the red question mark juxtaposed with a llama in the image above was solved by my cousin Susi. She explained that the word LAMA is Hebrew for why, so the llama image serves as a Hebrew pun. I should have realised that as I speak Hebrew but I had obviously been trying to decode it from an Anglophone perspective! Next a couple of examples of Italian graffiti combined with question marks where the language and/or spelling suggest a specific dialect. Graffiti in Bologna, 2018 Venetian Graffiti, 2017 A couple more images featuring sightings of question marks in Venice. The first image depicts the current mayor of Venice and the text asks where are you? Brugnaro, where are you? 2017 Venetian Carnival Mask with question mark motifs, 2018 More question marks from my travels. Below, striking graffiti in Paris which roughly translates as I’m leaving, and you? Parisian graffiti, 2010 Watching Thunderbirds on TV in Tokyo: TV screen: A moment from Thunderbirds with Japanese subtitles A couple from San Francisco: Marry Me? Mural, San Francisco, 2017 Smile looking like Lombard Street? I didn’t understand the above billboard when I saw it and had to look it up. Apparently Lombard Street is the most crooked street in the world. Aha! Next, a selection of images shot in London featuring question marks seen on walls: Above, during the Covid Pandemic this chalk sign was attached to a chipboard wall, asking who will you hug once this lot is over? Hate? London, 2015 What homeless people? London, 2016 Question on a Rainy Day, 2023 So What? Kentish Town, 2021 And finally, a question mark on a tattoo, the quotation a line from the Abba song Thank You for the Music: Related posts: Visuals of Sad Faces and Downturned Mouths Photographs taken on Public Transport Jubilee Imagery – A Subjective Take Eyes Around Town [...] Read more...
November 20, 2023Over the years I’ve blogged on the subject of eyes in photography, most recently on the themes of eyeliner and as well as the phenomenon known as eye-bombing. In this piece I’m featuring a series of photographs taken in the last 18 months where the eye has been the source of inspiration. Most of the images were shot in London; I’ve also included a couple of shots from New York and Girona. Below, a series of abstracts spotted whilst walking the streets both locally and beyond: Street abstract with sticker, Soho 2023 Torn in Shoreditch, 2023 Profile with Taped Eye, 2023 Torn in New York, 2023 Overlapping Eyes and Graffiti Stickers in Gospel Oak, 2023 Street Art with additional markings and stickers, NYC, 2023 Graffiti: eyes with long lashes, Girona Next, a selection of photos featuring a mix of celebrities. Gene Wilder’s doubled eyes always catch my attention when I walk past this creased poster on London’s Great Marlborough Street: Detail of poster featuring Gene Wilder, Great Marlborough Street Dylan is watching: Being followed by Bob Dylan’s eyes peering out from a vinyl record wooden crate Julian Assange’s eye peeps out from behind the man’s cardi, South Hampstead: Eyes and Reflections: Reflections in Islington Eyes in Long Acre Eyes in the Clouds, Gospel oak Parliament Hill Illusion The following photographs feature the eye motif in personal adornment, accessories, clothing and backdrops. I was struck by the large eyes tattooed on the neck of the passenger waiting for a train at Tottenham Court Road Tube: Close up of a Man with Eyes tattooed on his neck Below, a 19th Century painted Eye Miniature with jewelled tears and surrounded by pearls, Victoria & Albert Museum. The eye was considered to be the window to the soul. Sequin Evil Eye: Detail of sequin evil eye on London Lucumi Choir Director Daniela de Armas’s outfit The following photographs feature members of London’s Colour Walk community: Portrait of Florent Bidois: the backdrop detail features Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust Portrait of Maria Fernanda Latif with 3rd Eye Artist Belinda Nathan wearing an eye accessory on her hat stands alongside street art featuring an eye near Old Street Fabia Brackenbury’s scarf Writer Rosie Sandler’s Blinking Eye Bag Blinking Eye Bag part 2 Rosie’s tights One of my favourite photographers is the Japanese artist Daido Moriyama whose show is currently on at London’s Photographer’s Gallery. The eye motif is a feature of the exhibition: Elevator Selfie at Daido Moriyama Exhibition At the exhibition I couldn’t help admiring a visitor’s coat which featured a Cindy Sherman self-portrait. I also particularly liked the fragmented repetition created when the coat was done up. I was told that the coat was part of a collaboration between the artist and the Japanese brand Undercover. Cindy Sherman self portrait on coat by Undercover Detail of Cindy Sherman coat with repeated fragmented eye Links: London Colour Walk Florent Bidois Belinda Nathan Rosie Sandler Daido Moriyama Retrospective Related posts: Fragments of New York: focus on the eye Jubilee Imagery – A Subjective Take Seeing Sunflowers Googly Eyes & Eyebombing – A Photographic Collection of my Favourite Encounters [...] Read more...