Author: Michael Angelo Bobb

Categories
Poetry

‘Wrynose Pass’

This poem is about a long, winding road journey with nothing but the cloak of night for company.

The scene:

The Lake District. It is sunset. I had just arrived at an isolated tarn miles and miles from civilisation.  After leaving the car, I continue on foot. On the rocky, uneven path to capture the lake (about 1 km) my phone bleeps — it’s a welcome text message from _ _ _. Very odd. Is that a chill going down my back? There is something about the atmospherics here…! Anyway, after the photography I return to the car and set the SatNav. The night draws in…

“Wrynose Pass”

“I’m on my way back to my lodgings
Not long, I hope, ‘till I’m safely back
I set the SatNav and follow its commands
It’s getting darker and will soon be pitch black…”

The introductory music is a fantastical piece by Beethoven, aka the Moonlight Sonata.

Click here for the first verse: Wrynose Pass

Categories
Videography

Alison – Daughter of Alice

An art house photography production that could be in the style of Lewis Carroll. Amongst the different hats he wore were: Photographer and Author. The title of this video, Alison — Daughter of Alice, is my original idea, and taken from Carroll’s two books starring Alice. My thought here imagines Alice as having not a son, but a daughter — hence: Alison. And, just to put the cart before the horse, I wrote a poem about these images before making the video — the poem includes a line about the Alison / Alice relationship and adventures.

All the photographs include reflections and have been processed to high-key. The music had to be heavenly, and so I chose Karl Jenkins’ In Paradisum, making the video uniquely atmospheric. As with the Penge video I posted two weeks ago, the music here was recorded and mixed by myself. The finished footage was processed to the lowest quality at high resolution which, paradoxically, had an enhancing effect giving the video an ethereal quality.

The images in this video are from the Anerley and Penge area of South East London, England.

Click here for the Alison — Daughter of Alice video

Categories
Fine Art

Saint Mark’s Church, Bromley

Oh, the wonder of what happens when you press that button: rich hues await in the unexpected world of inversions. One can never know beforehand what one will see — every one is purely unimaginable! Although kaleidoscope apps are available, the art is knowing where to crop — thin air… and breath.

Saint Mark’s Church, Bromley

Categories
Fine Art

Holy Trinity SE20

Do you remember the days of cutting up photographs to the nearest micron and then putting the pieces back together again? Well, I did exactly that — and for my degree show images! In those days, 2004 to be exact, there was Photoshop 7.0. Although I had the software I did not know how to use it properly, saving everything as a psd! How times have changed!  Today, I am shaking hands with the (almost) latest image manipulation software.

Some historical church buildings are so photogenic, and Holy Trinity SE20 is no exception. Once I made the capture with my DSLR, the image was transformed into a quadrature* using Photoshop. To finish, a painterly surround was added.

*Definition of quadrature:

NOUN

mass noun


Mathematics
The process of constructing a square with…

Origin

Mid 16th century (as a mathematical term): from Latin quadratura ‘a square, squaring’, from quadrare…

Holy Trinity SE20

Categories
Poetry

‘Pennsylvania’

In 2017 I was staying in Ambleside, Cumbria. As the accommodation in the B & B was called the Pennsylvanian Suite, there was also reading information about this American State available. So, naturally one evening I wrote this poem.

“In 2017 I was sojourning in Ambleside.  The American style B & B was named Compston House.  I happened to be in the Pennsylvanian Suite which was well facilitated and included sufficient reading material — including information about Pennsylvania.  From these facts and figures I extracted the following rhyming verse.  (The second and third in the trilogy are ‘Wrynose Pass’ and ‘Cumbria’ respectfully.)

Pennsylvania

(The Keystone State)

With a population @ 12, 000,000

And total area over 46k square miles

Pennsylvania is really quite large

With many couples walking down the aisles…”

The first piece of music that came to mind has strong American overtones: Dvorák’s Theme from the ‘New World’.

And here is a sample: Pennsylvania

Categories
Poetry

‘I Have A Nikon Camera’

This is a poem based on my adventures in the world of photography. Although ‘Nikon’ appears in the title, other cameras are available. And, goes without saying, any similarities to my personality are purely coincidental!

“I Have A Nikon Camera

I have a Nikon camera

That captures photons new

The light sensitive sensor

Is sharp, accurate and true…“

The music is the Bourrée from Violin Partita No. 1 by J. S. Bach, played on the piano on this occasion.

For a flavour of what it is all about, click: I Have A Nikon Camera

Categories
Poetry

‘What Is There In All Creation…?’

This poem is about the sky, and is written in the ABBA rhyming form. It also has four verses. Much of its content came from research.

“What Is There In All Creation…?

What is there in all creation that can compare to the sky?

She, at times, can be quite calm as well as electrifying

Also sometimes conveys sadness and happiness — quite confusing

This is because she is pure and 3 times very high…”

Interesting facts about the music:

Before narration — J. S. Bach, Prelude 1 from the 48 Preludes and Fugues (C Major)

After narration — Charles Gounod, Ave Maria, based on the J. S. Bach, Prelude 1 (melody in F Major overlays the prelude in C Major).

Here is the first verse: What Is There In All Creation…?

Categories
Videography

Penge

Penge is my home town in the suburbs of South East London, England, and comes under the London Borough of Bromley. It is where I went to Secondary School, Sea Cadets as a teenager… and fell in love — many times!

After leaving Secondary School, I moved away from the area and lived in different locations. I returned to the area in 1990 and moved into my current Penge address in 2002. It was here that I completed my three-year Photomedia BA (Hons) degree — and this was only the beginning…

Since then: explosions in my artistic output, writing and publishing two paperbacks, narrating and producing two audiobooks, creating and producing a videobook, and the beginning of music composition.

The Penge Video

This video contains photographs of Penge: landmarks, parks, flowers, abstract sequences, skies, perspective photographs, signage, street art, nighttime scenes and music.

The music is my recording of W. A. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23, second movement, and recorded at home. To be more precise: I recorded the piano solo on my Broadwood acoustic piano, orchestral instruments on my Yamaha electronic keyboard and edited the recordings on my computer.

click here: Penge

Categories
Fine Art

You Make Us Look Good

It’s late… very late. It’s so late that it is now morning. Too tired to sleep. Too tired to leave the computer alone. Mind active, very active. There is something in the pixels just waiting… “I’ve got to find it,” I feel, “I will not sleep until I find it…”

Categories
Fine Art

The Philosopher

This fell from my mind. Represented here is the next generation of image manipulation. Can one say that the possibilities ride on an exponential curve? The Philosopher was created during a time when I was reading a book called: The Puzzle of Ethics.