Showing posts with label photograph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photograph. Show all posts
Sunday, May 24, 2026
BEAUTY: Photography--Linda Westin
Stockholm-based photographer Linda Westin took a detour into science and obtained a PhD in neuroscience, specializing in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, a technique that allows scientists to illuminate the structures inside cells by making them glow under specific wavelengths. She now uses this same idea to photograph trees and plants in dense natural settings. Her work is startling and enigmatic, and her images play as though they are illustrations from fairytale stories about magical forests full of night time intrigue and possible dangers ... Where The Wild Things Might Be ...
https://www.instagram.com/_cometalktome_/
https://www.instagram.com/_cometalktome_/
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
Saturday, December 20, 2025
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House 2025
Once again, the magical Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House in
London will be open for tours this holiday season!
In 1979, creative dreamer Dennis Severs, after moving from America to England a few years prior, bought a ruined house in the Spitalfields area of London and set about returning it to its former state. After several years, he ended up creating something very special that he called a "still-life drama," with vignettes spread across the ten rooms and four storeys of No. 18 Folgate Street. Each room is dressed like a stage or film set in a different historic style, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He invented a back story for this house: the fictional Jervis family (a name anglicised from Gervais), originally Huguenot (French Protestant immigrants) silk weavers who lived at the house from 1725 to 1919 are still present but just out of sight. Dennis opened this "time-machine" to the public and invited people to take a tour, not of an historic house, but to step into the Jervis' lives in a very immediate and visceral way. In what is more like an immersive theatrical experiences or performance art, he left half-eaten meals, half-full chamber pots, lit candles and blazing fireplaces scattered about while sound effects of the period softly emanated from hidden speakers as though the family just stepped out for a moment. Each room evokes incidental moments in the lives of these imaginary inhabitants. Writer Peter Ackroyd, author of LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY, wrote, "The journey through the house becomes a journey through time; with its small rooms and hidden corridors, its whispered asides and sudden revelations, it resembles a pilgrimage through life itself." Artist David Hockney called the experience of touring the house one of the world's greatest works of opera.
After Severs died in 1999, the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, an architectural preservation charity, took over the property and has kept it open to the public. But the best time to go is during the holiday season. The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House sees the property decked out in its period holiday finery. Photos are normally not allowed (guests embark on a 45 minute tour of the house but are encouraged to do so silently, without taking any photos) but a few years ago, London-based photographer Skye O'Neill was permitted to tour and photograph the house for this year's Christmas Installation. She shared some of these lovely images.
And here is a great interview with Dennis Severs about his home and why and how he created it.
In 1979, creative dreamer Dennis Severs, after moving from America to England a few years prior, bought a ruined house in the Spitalfields area of London and set about returning it to its former state. After several years, he ended up creating something very special that he called a "still-life drama," with vignettes spread across the ten rooms and four storeys of No. 18 Folgate Street. Each room is dressed like a stage or film set in a different historic style, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He invented a back story for this house: the fictional Jervis family (a name anglicised from Gervais), originally Huguenot (French Protestant immigrants) silk weavers who lived at the house from 1725 to 1919 are still present but just out of sight. Dennis opened this "time-machine" to the public and invited people to take a tour, not of an historic house, but to step into the Jervis' lives in a very immediate and visceral way. In what is more like an immersive theatrical experiences or performance art, he left half-eaten meals, half-full chamber pots, lit candles and blazing fireplaces scattered about while sound effects of the period softly emanated from hidden speakers as though the family just stepped out for a moment. Each room evokes incidental moments in the lives of these imaginary inhabitants. Writer Peter Ackroyd, author of LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY, wrote, "The journey through the house becomes a journey through time; with its small rooms and hidden corridors, its whispered asides and sudden revelations, it resembles a pilgrimage through life itself." Artist David Hockney called the experience of touring the house one of the world's greatest works of opera.
After Severs died in 1999, the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, an architectural preservation charity, took over the property and has kept it open to the public. But the best time to go is during the holiday season. The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House sees the property decked out in its period holiday finery. Photos are normally not allowed (guests embark on a 45 minute tour of the house but are encouraged to do so silently, without taking any photos) but a few years ago, London-based photographer Skye O'Neill was permitted to tour and photograph the house for this year's Christmas Installation. She shared some of these lovely images.
And here is a great interview with Dennis Severs about his home and why and how he created it.
If you live in London or will be there during the holidays, you have a chance
to see the Christmas Installation in person through the 11th of January 2026.
Admission times sell out quickly. Check the website for more
details.
Saturday, October 25, 2025
BEAUTY: Photography for Autumn--Xavier Portela
For autumn, here is a gorgeous set of the changing leaves in Japan captured by a fantastic photographer, Xavier Portela. He describes the inspiration on his site:
"Kōyō (紅葉) refers to the Japanese tradition of admiring autumn foliage, when trees, leaves, and entire forests turn glowing in red, orange, and gold. This new series explores that fleeting moment."
Gorgeous.
https://xavierportela.com/
"Kōyō (紅葉) refers to the Japanese tradition of admiring autumn foliage, when trees, leaves, and entire forests turn glowing in red, orange, and gold. This new series explores that fleeting moment."
Gorgeous.
https://xavierportela.com/
Labels:
autumn,
autumn leaves,
beauty: photography,
japan,
Kōyō,
photo,
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photography,
Xavier Portela
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Hero
Labels:
Daniel Berehulak,
hero,
humanity,
photo,
photograph,
solidarity,
The New York Times,
Ukraine,
Volodymyr Zelensky,
war
Tuesday, December 3, 2024
The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House 2024
Once again, the magical Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House in
London will be open for tours this holiday season!
In 1979, creative dreamer Dennis Severs, after moving from America to England a few years prior, bought a ruined house in the Spitalfields area of London and set about returning it to its former state. After several years, he ended up creating something very special that he called a "still-life drama," with vignettes spread across the ten rooms and four storeys of No. 18 Folgate Street. Each room is dressed like a stage or film set in a different historic style, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He invented a back story for this house: the fictional Jervis family (a name anglicised from Gervais), originally Huguenot (French Protestant immigrants) silk weavers who lived at the house from 1725 to 1919 are still present but just out of sight. Dennis opened this "time-machine" to the public and invited people to take a tour, not of an historic house, but to step into the Jervis' lives in a very immediate and visceral way. In what is more like an immersive theatrical experiences or performance art, he left half-eaten meals, half-full chamber pots, lit candles and blazing fireplaces scattered about while sound effects of the period softly emanated from hidden speakers as though the family just stepped out for a moment. Each room evokes incidental moments in the lives of these imaginary inhabitants. Writer Peter Ackroyd, author of LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY, wrote, "The journey through the house becomes a journey through time; with its small rooms and hidden corridors, its whispered asides and sudden revelations, it resembles a pilgrimage through life itself." Artist David Hockney called the experience of touring the house one of the world's greatest works of opera.
After Severs died in 1999, the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, an architectural preservation charity, took over the property and has kept it open to the public. But the best time to go is during the holiday season. The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House sees the property decked out in its period holiday finery. Photos are normally not allowed (guests embark on a 45 minute tour of the house but are encouraged to do so silently, without taking any photos) but a few years ago, London-based photographer Skye O'Neill was permitted to tour and photograph the house for this year's Christmas Installation. She shared some of these lovely images.
And here is a great interview with Dennis Severs about his home and why and how he created it.
In 1979, creative dreamer Dennis Severs, after moving from America to England a few years prior, bought a ruined house in the Spitalfields area of London and set about returning it to its former state. After several years, he ended up creating something very special that he called a "still-life drama," with vignettes spread across the ten rooms and four storeys of No. 18 Folgate Street. Each room is dressed like a stage or film set in a different historic style, mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. He invented a back story for this house: the fictional Jervis family (a name anglicised from Gervais), originally Huguenot (French Protestant immigrants) silk weavers who lived at the house from 1725 to 1919 are still present but just out of sight. Dennis opened this "time-machine" to the public and invited people to take a tour, not of an historic house, but to step into the Jervis' lives in a very immediate and visceral way. In what is more like an immersive theatrical experiences or performance art, he left half-eaten meals, half-full chamber pots, lit candles and blazing fireplaces scattered about while sound effects of the period softly emanated from hidden speakers as though the family just stepped out for a moment. Each room evokes incidental moments in the lives of these imaginary inhabitants. Writer Peter Ackroyd, author of LONDON: THE BIOGRAPHY, wrote, "The journey through the house becomes a journey through time; with its small rooms and hidden corridors, its whispered asides and sudden revelations, it resembles a pilgrimage through life itself." Artist David Hockney called the experience of touring the house one of the world's greatest works of opera.
After Severs died in 1999, the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust, an architectural preservation charity, took over the property and has kept it open to the public. But the best time to go is during the holiday season. The Annual Christmas Installation at Dennis Severs' House sees the property decked out in its period holiday finery. Photos are normally not allowed (guests embark on a 45 minute tour of the house but are encouraged to do so silently, without taking any photos) but a few years ago, London-based photographer Skye O'Neill was permitted to tour and photograph the house for this year's Christmas Installation. She shared some of these lovely images.
And here is a great interview with Dennis Severs about his home and why and how he created it.
If you live in London or will be there during the holidays, you have a chance
to see the Christmas Installation in person through the 4th of January 2025.
Even though appointment tickets are nearly sold out, the house can be visited
on Sunday afternoons without booking in advance. Check the website for more
details.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Memory and Understanding
“Most of our childhood is stored not in photos, but in certain biscuits, lights of day, smells, textures of carpet.”
--Alain de Botton
“The path isn't a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.”
--Barry H. Gillespie
--Alain de Botton
![]() |
| "3:42 p.m., 2010" | Photo by Alexander Harding |
“The path isn't a straight line; it’s a spiral. You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.”
--Barry H. Gillespie
Labels:
Alain de Botton,
Alexander Harding,
art,
artist,
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Barry H. Gillespie,
Buddhist,
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memory,
nostalgia,
philosopher,
photo,
photograph,
photographer,
psychology,
quote,
quotes,
sense memory,
wisdom
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