February 08, 2010
so farewell then...
JOHNNY DANKWORTH.
He once said that of all the drawings and paintings of saxophones he'd seen [and one must assume he'd seen a few] my drawing was the only one he felt he could play.
saxophone, charcoal and wash on paper, 1988
Posted by john at 07:18 PM | Comments (1)
February 06, 2010
Sola Topee
The name comes not, as one might at first imagine, from anything to do with the sun, though it is worn in the tropics to protect the nut from said fiery orb.
The sola in question is the Aeschynomene aspera, from the family Fabaceae, of which the humble garden pea is a member. Also known as the Sola Pith Plant, it's wont to grow in the swamps of Asia and the sub-continent. It’s the spongy innards, or pith, from the stalks of this plant that provides the raw material for making such lightweight hats [or fishing floats if you’d rather].
Hence the other name for this headgear: Pith Helmet.
Oh, and topee comes from the Hindi for hat: topi.
Posted by john at 04:04 PM | Comments (2)
Me!
for Ruth
Posted by john at 02:41 PM | Comments (1)
February 04, 2010
plundering the photo drawer
Mel
dancer
Faulty Optic's studio
life model
Posted by john at 10:26 PM | Comments (1)
January 29, 2010
Good News for TRAPEZIUS
TRAPEZIUS, the most recent dance film, will be screened at Xtend IV, in South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell as part of their LIFT OFF! dance festival this spring, screened most nights from February to April.
It's is also going to be screened at the Phoenix Cinema, Oxford, on the 21st March, as part of the Oxford Dance Festival - DANCIN' OXFORD.
Posted by john at 11:15 PM | Comments (1)
January 28, 2010
things seldom seen in these days of 24 hour broadcasting
Time was, and not so long ago, television broadcasting started and stopped on a daily basis.
Before broadcasting the afternoon or evening programmes [there were no programmes during the day – you were supposed to be out climbing trees] a test card would be on screen.
At the end of the day the rich voice of the continuity announcer would say goodnight, the national anthem would play, then the TV picture would blink off, dying to a tiny bright white spot in the middle of the screen which would glow for a few seconds before it too went out.
And that was that.
the image is a studio camera test card - not the familiar broadcast test card
Posted by john at 10:15 PM | Comments (0)
January 27, 2010
in the gym
Filming in a gymnasium* in Batley
well Birstall actually, I think.
The wall-bars and benches were just the same when I was at school, the only thing missing were the thick cotton ropes and hard leather medicine balls. Oh, and the smell of floor polish mixed with the smell of unwashed boys, the squeak of plimsolls on parquet and the creak of wood as 2b flung themselves over the beam.
*from the Ancient Greek gumnazein to exercise naked
Posted by john at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2010
keeping warm in the bath
sitting in a tin bath,
albeit brimfull of warm water,
while filmpeople fiddle
with cameras and lights
and musicpeople twiddle
with buttons and switches
you could get a tad chilly
so you maybe need a blanket
Posted by john at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
January 23, 2010
no white chair to be seen in music video
Contrary to popular opinion, not every work I do contains a white chair. Though it has to be said a lot of them do.
So least we forget:
Posted by john at 01:28 PM | Comments (1)
January 19, 2010
early baths
first bath first inspiration:
research and reference baths
Chaplin in the bath
some girl in a bath somewhere
Ophelia
Posted by john at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
