Photographing the sun's journey

One of my favourite parts of The Sun exhibition at the Science Museum (till 6 May) was the Solargraphy project, designed and coordinated by Tarya Trygg, photography lecturer in Finland. The project is part of her PhD work.

Participants set up a pinhole camera and left it in place for a year. The exposed film shows the tracks the sun made across the sky -

Latitude matters! In the top row, the one on the left is taken in Alaska, and beside it is a solargraph from Quito, Ecuador -

 The one of Stonehenge is rather miraculous -

Glimpses of Collect

Travelling light to Collect ("international art fair for modern craft and design"), I managed to leave notebook and pen behind. Apologies for uncredited work, but I hope the photos give an idea of the wonderful "craft" objects, skillfully made and thoughtfully displayed. I chose my favourites; the range on display is even greater.

Love those boxes!

An army of rings

A marquetry of hand-dyed wool, tapestry-size (detail)

Weaving by Katherine Swailes ...

... with looping

... and (Jan Bowman) lots of swooping

Alice Kettle and Christie Brown

Gilded aerial cities by Umberto Dattola

Kristina Riska

A riff on Thousand Miles Landscape by Wan Liya...

... the 12th-century painting has been translated into 3D

New shapes by Robert Cooper

Which hazel?

Among  the scents of spring is that of witch-hazel (Hamamelis).  At Kew Gardens, I had a good sniff of the various kinds planted near King William's Temple (built in 1837).

The "chinese" variety (H. mollis) has a strong smell of oranges, and looks very orange too -

Hamamelis x intermedia -

 "Rubin" -

 Japanese witch hazel (H. japonica) -

 Appropriately, this is Sunburst -

 Frederic -

 ... and Diane -

All very fragrant.

The name has nothing to do with witches - it comes from the Old English wice, meaning bendable.

Topical application of a decoction has been used to treat swelling, inflammation, and tumours, but drinking it is not advised.

Trees 'R' Us

It's Sunday evening and it's been a busy few days. I've been to Norwich to see the Elisabeth Frink exhibition at the university art centre (till 24th) which captivated me completely but didn't allow photography ... which is good because it makes you draw-to-remember, and drawing makes you look, and that degree of looking makes you see things you can't articulate but feel-and-understand.

 Also there was the east-anglian sky, filling half of the visual field (no hills, very few tall buildings) and in the rural(ish) setting, a chance to see trees against that sky -

from the cafe

from the (parked) car

just because ... of its lovely fuzziness...

We also went to Blickling Hall, with its wonderfully wide and long yew hedges, planted in the 1740s I was told - the insides like the path to Sleeping Beauty's castle by now -

 but looking very kempt on the outside... (and with pollarded trees behind) -

And today, a captivating course at City Lit about Godzilla - the 1954 film (Japanese) and its (many! often American!) remakes, and the context of their content. Too short a day, and my head is spinning.

Table top museums

A wonderful visit, as part of Open House London, to the Art Workers Guild yesterday. The building is amazing, especially the light fittings -

Even more wonderful was the Table Top Museum show in the big hall. So much to wonder at, in these displays put on by dedicated collectors!

Mandy talked me through some highlights from her selection of interesting objects from car boot sales and elsewhere -

A graphite sculpture, showing some signs of having been used for drawing

In the stapler box ... "my daughter's arm"

Clay whistles in the shape of animals - you can play a tune on them

Tins for needles, and an ashtray with the shipping forecast areas

 Going round the room, wonder after wonder met the eye....

A rainbow of disposable ice cream spoons
[were those stickers on the light switches always there?]

The Rough Sea Postcard and Associated Ephemera Museum

Things made of wood, including a mysterious object
"designed and made by Kay Bojesen, originally
designed in 1932; Denmark"

Mincers!

In the cabinet of tiny things, a knitted grub!

Breadboards

Feathers

Cows (I covet the pencil box on the right)

"My consumption diaries: a glimpse into trough and basket"
complete with evaluation and price paid

Wonderful things collected on travels around the world

I do hope this wonderful museum of museums will pop up again!