NIGHT SPIRALS: This nocturnal image that I just came across is fascinating, no doubt. Entitled ‘Sparks In Night’, it’s taken by an anonymous photographer (well for the moment). It’s rather difficult to pin down exactly what is happening in this photo, and as you can imagine that does irk me a little. Despite my very small gripe, I actually believe that a dose of mystery makes a picture all the more enticing and exciting.
From where I’m sat, there appears to be a man or woman standing on top of a small industrial hut of sorts, performing some stunt involving fire works, or perhaps put more precisely, pyrotechnics.
The lack of any living presence in the photograph, outside of the ‘performer’ allows you to direct your attention to whatever amazing light display is being produced here.
Even if you can’t describe what’s going on here exactly you can still take the moment all in with awe. This image was sourced from One Big Photo.com.
ALL OF THE LIGHTS (REDUX): An image that offers you another view of the Ghent Light Festival in Belgium from last year. I was just so wowed by the display shown here that I had to post another image of the event. I imagine that if you were to stare at the individual bulbs seen here for too long then your eyes would be in quite a bit of pain immediately afterwards!
Nevertheless, a display of this manner really merits a bit of oogling, which is what all of the people in the crowd below do. Taking in a vision of traditional architecture, re-illuminated in a colourful array of lights for the 21st century.
We should be so lucky to witness something this ambitious in real life!
TOP OF THE POPS: I know that I have posted quite a few ferris wheel images in recent weeks, but I found this image quite impressive, even in its minute format.
In this particular shot you only see the top of the wheel, so you have no real idea on what size the entire attraction is, or what lies below. When you look at the wheel from this perspective, you notice things that you might not normally. The carriages for example, all lit up around the outside look like peas in a pod and create a pattern that is reminscent of something you might see on a shirt.
Even without much colour, this illuminating snapshot has an illusionary edge (if you try to see that side of it!) which drew me in to it.
HAMBURG’S WHEEL OF FORTUNE: A colorful ferris wheel is a simple attraction which can bring happy thoughts to mind. Those relating to childhood, innocence and general spontaneity just to name a few. Even when set against the night sky there is a sense of virtue to the theme park ride.
I can’t quite make out the different parts of the wheel in this photo, located in Hamburg, because it appears that the photographer caught it as it was turning fairly quickly. Or it could just be that I’m not familiar with this model of wheel, where three strips of light cover the side. Or it could just be that this is one wheel that doesn’t offer tickets to ride? Who knows? At any rate a mere, quick viewing of this colourful object is enough of an enjoyable experience by itself.
THE TRAIN OF MYSTERY: I have been on many trains in my life so far, at many different times of day and night. I have never had the pleasure to either travel on or see something of this nature passing me on the neighboring tracks though. I can’t imagine that many people have though. This photograph, taken in December 2000 features a ‘shimmering CPR holiday train’ crossing the fog covered South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in Canada. So I’m sure that there weren’t many passengers allowed on board. This image reminds me of one of those old Coca Cola ads featuring Father Christmas and a lit up train. Perhaps it ran during the 1990s. I’m not quite sure, but this image brings it back to mind. Wish I could have travelled on it, just to have experienced a modern day Christmas fantasy of sorts. This image was sourced from Railroadpix.com.
ALIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: Seeing impressive light-assisted installations and structures is something that you probably associate with this particular time of year, that is if you celebrate Christmas. Despite the endless streams of festive lights that line the streets of Vienna at the moment, I can’t quite get in the Christmas mood. Even though I am impressed by the intricacy and colours of this rainbow-lit Cathedral dome, it doesn’t really get me thinking about the 25th of this month, but perhaps with time I will make the association. This installation was set up for the 2012 ‘Licht Festival’ in Ghent, Belgium. A fairly accurate rendering of 21st century beauty, if you ask me.
INTERMINGLING LIGHTS: It’s a cold night here in Vienna (surprisingly cold for October; 7C) and I haven’t been outside in a couple of hours. Somehow I still feel rather engulfed by the night air surrounding me, perhaps due to the windows built in the roof. They bring the darkness closer to me. So why not bring some light into the evening, I thought to myself. The curled up squiggles of blue, striped red and neon white blare out and suggest warmth in the midst of solemn quiet and uneasy calm. Funny then that I should not be a big clubber then. Still something is reassuring about the presence of a street lamp whilst walking down an empty street in the dark. This image represents a similar warmth and sense of security.
IT’S A RAVE DAVE: It’s been quite a long time since I’ve been clubbing, and I don’t think I have actually ever been to a proper rave. At least not by the British definition. Which makes me incredibly sad, but if you didn’t know that already then clearly you haven’t been paying very much attention to the blog, LOL. We did used to have the odd rave in our dorms in boarding school, which usually lasted a total of five minutes. This image is rather low in quality, which I apologise for, but kind of captures my idea of what a rave would be like. I’m probably a bit naive though! The strands of red and blue light, presence of people rendered anonymous en masse and a slight blur are some of the main intriguing elements in this particular photograph.
TUNNEL VISION: I found this intriguing image on a wedding photographer’s page of all places. The photograph, entitled ‘Walk Into The Light’ was taken by a photographer by the name of Joao Encarnacao and brings elements both idyllic and dark to mind. The first association that I had upon finding this photograph was of World War II trenches. To my mind this could be a young boy who has stumbled across an old path leading through former trenches somewhere in Europe. However the wired lighting that encircles the top of the tunnel gives the image a modern day context and adds some fantasy to the image. So instead of thinking of the world’s last mass conflict, my mind draws up the idea of this image being linked to a British indie film or something along those lines. Either way, the image looks good both from innocent and experienced angles.
LIGHTING UP THE ROOM: I’m not sure where this image originates, but it’s a pretty fascinating one; one that shows a human in a moment of self-made bliss. I found it whilst using Donald Byrd’s track ‘Night Whistler’ as the search term. I’m not quite sure how the two pieces of media compliment each other, but there is something rather indulgent about both the track and this image of a girl, lying nude on a bed whilst lights shower her body, looking more like fragments of stars than anything else. I’m sure that I will find out the original context for this image in due course (one that will no doubt make me feel like a hipster), but until then the mystery to the background of this picture is part of its appeal.
