Brecon, Day Seven (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Seven (2013) by James George
Visited the Brecon Mountain Railway today and boarded an old steam train for a nice scenic journey. It was cold and wet, but the train ride was nevertheless very enjoyable. I took several moving image photos such as the one above and several of the train ride itself. I was also very pleased with some of my instant camera pictures today.
Seeing as it’s the last day, I feel like I should have some kind of overall conclusion for my week in the Beacons, yet I don’t. I’ve enjoyed working the way I have however, the process of experience documentation, carrying my visual diary around with me…this is how I have to work. I need to make sure I always have my instant camera with me and have plenty of film so that when I go about my day-to-day business I can document my thoughts and findings. I used to keep a notebook diary, and sometimes I’d be nothing to say, but everyday I’ll see something that interests me, even if I don’t usually have a camera or a sketchbook to take note of it. The visual diary is something I need to carry on more religiously from now on.
Brecon, Day Six (2013) by James George
Today has mainly consisted of taking multiple images of the area with the aim of originally turning them into moving images, unfortunately they didn’t quite work as I’d hoped and so I’ve settled for displaying them as frames rather than gifs. I returned to the cottage and made some more paper in the afternoon which I had to hang in the shower cubicle to dry due to the heavy rain.
The sound of the rain and wind outside makes me feel quite cosy being warm indoors with my sketchbook. Perhaps I’ll take a sound recording to document it.
Brecon, Day Six (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Five (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Five (2013) by James George
Ventured to a castle some 10 miles away in Crickhowell this morning, only to find that it was one of those castles that consists of basically one or two free-standing walls. It was interesting, if not slightly disappointing especially since the beautiful weather of the weekend had seemingly come to an end.
I had noticed a sign for another castle on the way to Crickhowell, so decided to investigate that one. Tretower Court and Castle turned out to be a very wonderful place, visually stunning, remotely located behind some beautiful cottages. Inside the courthouse was the smell of old and dusty wood, a surprisingly appealing scent that instantly reminded me of being in infant school assembly, sitting legs crossed on the old wooden floor.
The castle which was located behind the court, was mostly built by the Normans. This was something that I impressed myself by recognising from the style of the tower, probably down to years of watching Time Team as a child. It had plenty of obvious visual information that helped identify which sections of the castle had been used for what. The kitchen for example had several large ovens and clearly visible storage areas.
Then there was the bird. He didn’t flinch when approached, but instead just stood there looking at me. He had an oddly recognisable glint in his eyes that I can’t quite explain, but I could tell that he was old, resigned. I took his photo out of sheer curiosity. He didn’t seem injured, just tired. After wandering the castle grounds for a while afterwards I noticed the tucked away bodies of blackbirds, all in different stages of decomposition. It struck me that for some reason these birds had chosen this castle as a place to die, apparently all individually and out of sight from one and other. I said goodbye to the bird on my way out and told him that I hope he had had a good life and that I was sorry he was going to die.
Brecon, Day Four (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Four (2013) by James George
Today I retured to the Talybont area and rephotographed the waterfalls, including some that I hadn’t made it to on day three. I also decided to hang some of the instant pictures that I’d taken there from a particularly gnarly trees using some string and bulldog clips. I liked the idea of displaying images of the environment actually within it’s subject. The idea of submerging visual information within visual information, as if both a reflection and a distraction of the realtime experience. Much in the way that people view events through the camera of their smartphone, creating a barrier between them and the things happening in front of them. Something interesting in that play of information, subject, and environment that I can’t quite articulate…
More photos to follow!
Brecon, Day Three (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Three (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Three (2013) by James George
Today I decided to head to Talybont Reservoir to explore the area. I walked 2 miles along the Taff Trail on one side, and then doubled back on myself after realising there were waterfalls on the other side of the reservoir. The walk to the waterfalls took another 5 miles but it was worth it! I might return there tomorrow now that I know where I’m going a bit better…but perhaps I’ll drive half way up the reservoir this time! A total of over 12 miles walking today has left my legs very tired! More photos to come…
Brecon, Day Two (2013) by James George
Here is an example of the paper that I made this morning using materials found whilst exploring. Although there are only 4 pieces in my first batch due to consistency variables that I had to iron out, I can continue to work on the process over the next few days.
Brecon, Day Two (2013) by James George
Contrary to my previous blog entry, after hanging my small batch of paper to dry, I found my way to Brecon town in there afternoon. Whilst there I visited the cathedral, walked through its meadows and took some photographs of the area. I’ve been drawing in my sketchbook too, but today I focused on moving image, sound and multiple images.
Brecon, Day Two (2013) by James George
Brecon, Day Two (2013) by James George
So this morning I’ve been making some paper using the found materials that I gathered on my walk yesterday. Grass, leaves, other plant life and some sheeps wool. The consistency was hard to get right, something I put down to the softness of the local water supply in comparison to the harder water I use in Cardiff.
I’m off out to explore the area again this afternoon, perhaps driving out to a woodland trail about 9 miles away, I can then explore that on-foot.
