Building Bridges

                   

Despite the proliferation of Bansky paintings that adorn its walls and grimy street corners, Bristol's most impressive pieces of design for me are the ones which have stayed the test of time.

Most impressive of all is Brunel's imposing Suspension Bridge, which spans the Avon Gorge. At only 24, Brunel dreamt up a bridge which easily meets the demands of twenty-first century traffic, at a time when cars and lorries hadn't even been invented. Built for another era, the Clifton Suspension Bridge has become an essential part of the fabric of Bristol city life, taking locals out of the city and attracting tourists in.

Vertigo-inducing view from the side.

Railings cast a shadow in the morning sun.

The shard 'hacked' by urban explorer

I couldn't help but post these astonishing pictures of 'urban explorer' Bradley Garrett perched on top of the Shard in London. 

Whether you think he is incredibly stupid or fantastically brave, he certainly got a stunning panoramic view of London from what is now Europe's tallest building.                                                                 

                                                                                                                            Garrett claimed to have swung onto the building from London Bridge, easily evading the solitary security guard who patrols the building's perimeter at night. Scaling right to the top, he described how it swayed unsteadily in the wind. The top floors of the Shard will be open for the public to explore once it is complete, and the more daring among us will be able to get a similar, if slightly safer, peek at the city.                                                                                                               

Professional panoramic photographer Will Pearson also offers a glimpse of the view from the top with this - legally - taken 360 degree interactive panorama. According to Pearson's blog, the shot was taken on the night of the student protests and, if you look closely enough, you can see police helicopters circling, and even the last remnants of snow on the hills behind Canary Wharf.  

Baroque chapel transformed into a virtual musical instrument

Prague-based project mapping collective 'Macula' have created an innovative interactive musical instrument in the basement of a baroque chapel. 

They have mapped a virtual surface onto the chapel's interior, making it possible for members of the public to literally 'play' different parts of the decoration by pointing lasers at them. So, for example, point a laser at the small cherub in the eaves and a heavenly note rings out, run the laser across the windows and a drum beat starts up. 
Up to ten people at a time can play the church, which opened in December 2011, and experience a strange reality in which usually silent concrete objects begin to light up, make sounds and react to the actions of the visitors.                                

                                                                                                                                 It has all been made possible by advances in computer coding; a fantastic example of how, when the technological and creative worlds collide, the boundaries of both can be broken down.


Archifon 1 - interactive musical instrument video

The ten best flower paintings

As featured in the Observer...                                                                                                          

Once again the Observer art critics have picked a common topic and found something unusual to say about it. In this article they tackled the well-worn topic of floral paintings and found a range of examples, all inspirationally different. A great source of ideas for those of us who love to paint nature.

Hokusai
Bullfinch on Weeping Cherry (c 1840)
British Library, London

Andy Warhol
Flowers (1970)
The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

Ten best flower paintings, as featured in the observer 

Here is a link to some flower photos I took in April last year, when it was a scorching 22 degrees. 

Dramatic scenes at the Putney Boat Race

A swimmer in the river, broken blades, Alexander Woods collapsing with exhaustion and a race which had to be restarted half way through.                                                                                   

The 2012 Putney boat race, which struggled to a finish a few hours ago, was beset with problems from the very start. First a man’s head was spotted in the path of the boats, causing the crews to stop rowing seconds before they would have hit him. Perhaps as a result, when the race was restarted the boats clashed, hit oars, and Oxford lost a blade, which allowed Cambridge a hollow victory. Even after the race had finished the drama continued, when Oxford rower Alexander Woods collapsed in his boat and had to be carried away by paramedics.

It ended with a sombre meeting of the Cambridge winners, a cancelled award ceremony and no one being thrown in the river, only the mystery swimmer being dragged out. All in all a gloomy non-occasion; the defeated, exhausted looks in the rower’s faces told the story only two well.

See footage of the swimmer's disruption on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17644260