Jeté by Enzo Plazzotta

I like sculptures that are in the street rather than in museums. This means you are allowed to touch them (if you can reach them) and you may take photos. I really don't think that photos hurt sculptures when they are indoors but many galleries don't allow any photography. I have written about this restriction on a previous blog and the bottom line is a total ban is acceptable because visitors don't understand the damage that flash lighting does to many of the exhibits.

This statue is called jeté by Enzo Plazzotta and if you didn't know what a jeté was then you do now. If you are looking at the Vauxhall Bridge (see yesterday's blog) then turn around and you will see this statue. The lighting wasn't brilliant and I wasn't particularly happy with the plane just above the statue's head and the clutter in the bottom left of the photo. I did take out the distractions and then I went on to make the silhouette on the right. No need for any support with silhouettes and the weather isn't important.

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Photo versus engraving

On the left I have increased the contrast of the modern view of the Vauxhall Bridge. On the right is the engraving which has had its contrast increased.

I don't know about you but it looks so much nicer on the right. Partly it is because there is light coming through the arches of the bridge and partly it is because the trees come out well but it is interesting to compare the photo with the engraving.

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Look for the repairs

If you followed yesterday's blog then you will know that this is an engraving of the Vauxhall Bridge. The engraving is outside on the north bank of the Thames and so it is affected by the weather and possibly vandalism. This meant that I had to tidy it up a little because some areas were scratched and worn.

You may be able to tell that I have made some repairs on the left but with the increased contrast on the right you lose sight of the repairs. That's if you saw them in the first place.

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Vauxhall Bridge

The view on the left is looking at the Thames from the Tate Britain. It wasn't busy on the day that I went but as you can also see that the weather wasn't brilliant. If you cross the road and walk a little to the right you get the view on the right. It is Vauxhall Bridge and the building behind the bridge is the St George Wharf.

The flats on the wharf may be luxurious but it isn't a particularly famous building. In fact the only reason I am showing it to you is because tomorrow I have the same view from an engraving. Tomorrow's photo is taken from the same place as the photo on the right. I just had to look down to see a lot of information about the history of this bridge and the surrounding area.

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The names of London buildings

On the left the building in the foreground is called Vintners Place. It looks really good in the sunlight with the Thames in front of it. However the building that you might be able to name is 30 St Mary Axe, more commonly known as The Gherkhin. It was built in 2004 and I would get the quiz question right if the answer is The Gherkhin. I don't think I would get the point for its official address.

On the right is London Bridge Tower. Well it is fairly near London Bridge but the first name that comes to mind is The Shard. You can see Southwark Cathedral just in front of The Shard. Cathedral buildings are supposed to dominate the landscape as they do in many other cities but gone are the days when this building looked imposing.

As for the funny names, I suppose it is all part of the marketing. You will know The Gherkin and The Shard, even though the building is far from complete. Did you know about Vintners' Place even though the name has been around for centuries? I think we are heading for a lot more strange names.

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A view from the Victoria Tower Gardens

I had been to the Tate Modern on the afternoon of Friday 17th December. It was the day before the really heavy snowfall in London but as you can see from the last few photos, it was quite a sunny afternoon. Earlier that morning I had visited the Tate Britain and this was the view from the north bank of the Thames in the Victoria Tower Gardens. You may not be surprised to read that these gardens are next to the Victoria Tower in the Palace of Westminster.

As for the photos, I am not keen on unattached branches and twigs in the picture. In this case I couldn't help including some leaves but the sky was so uniform it was a very simple task to take them out on the computer. i thought the dull sky gaave the photo some atmospher which was helped by decreasing the contrast. Hence the two amendments on the right.

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Well it is the Tate Modern

I know it is Christmas Day but these photos are simply a continuation of the London theme. Yesterday I showed you the self-portrait from the terrace of the Tate Modern.

The photo on the left is a variation with a little more contrast and a little darker. The photo on the right has been amended in a similar way but you may guess that I have increased contrast and made it a lot darker. Well it is a window in the Tate Modern.

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