Wednesday Lensday: Legends and Lights

Had a bit of a camera clear out…

In an event to continue the legacy of Hull’s City of Culture status, Urban Legends: Northern Lights (back in December 2018) had various illuminated installations around the city centre. Some told tales that brought giant, fantastical creatures to life on the walls of our museums. Others carpeted pedestrian areas in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of asymmetric patterns, or lit our landmarks in an array of bright colours.

Then there were a few that were just plain…odd. Like the talking mermaid and the ice queen propped up in shop windows and looking like bad fairground freak-show attractions. But you can’t win them all! Fortunately, I was too short to get close enough to them, so you’re saved from the disturbing images!

I’m bringin’ blogging back, (yeah!)

Well hello there! How the heck is everyone? I’m hoping you all enjoyed the holiday period, whether you celebrated or not, ate copious amounts of cheese (like I did) or just treated it like any other day of the week.

And here we are, on the last day of 2017 and I’ve decided that after my hiatus – which was wonderful in all honesty, not having to think about posting or feeling forced to update social media just for the sake of it – that I’m coming back!

If you’ll have me… (*crosses fingers and toes).

Inside a secretive Seoul

Well hello! Firstly, I guess I should address my absence. There’s quite a simple explanation – I’ve simply had nothing to say. Which is most unusual for me!

I mean, I have had things to say and I could have written posts or added to my ongoing Lacunae tale, but my heart’s not been in it, whether that’s down to being busy, tired or just plain lazy. So apologies… *must do better* 😉

So what have I been up to since I last posted? Well, it’s only been a couple of weeks so I’ve not changed the world or anything, but I have visited South Korea. Kind of…

Wednesday Lensday: Paper City

On Sunday, we managed to catch the last day of a sculpture exhibition in and around Hull’s Humber Street. The area where the marina stands was once a dock and Humber Street was a hub for traders, particularly fruit merchants.

However, it fell into decline and lay mostly derelict for some years, before being transformed into an eclectic mix of bars, restaurants, artisan cafes, music venues and art galleries.

Above: an installation in the art gallery – blow it and it lights up in different colours!

So it was the natural choice to house the Paper City exhibit, part of the City of Culture events. The ten day display explored our relationship with paper and play, with eight artists and designers invited to create something using one of the most fundamental mediums for creativity.

Opera House? No, Opera Bridge!

Like many people, I love a good bridge. I’d like to give some poetic reason, such as they’re symbolic of links between points in our life journey, but the simple truth is I just find them structurally appealing. Strong architectural lines with the added bonus of generally being near another personal favourite, water.

I’m lucky enough to live very close to the Humber Bridge, once the longest single-span suspension bridge in the world. Its arrival in the early 1980s put it firmly on the map as an iconic local landmark, for many, a comforting signal of home as it looms on the horizon after a long trip.

Seeing as I’m also a big fan of classical music, it was a given that I wanted to get tickets when the City of Culture team announced an event in conjunction with Opera North to walk the bridge to a unique, specially composed soundtrack: The Height of the Reeds.

Unfortunately, as tickets were free, they went swiftly and I lost out. Then, hurrah! They announced it had been so popular they were extending the run and this time I was in, albeit alone as we could only get hold of one ticket.

So yesterday, amidst the extraordinary heat we’re experiencing at the moment in the UK, I set off for a 5K trundle.