Graffiti in Hackney Wick

—–    (Photo above : Very impressive image though,  isn’t this huge print-out of

——- digitally processed image ? —– I’m not against the process,

——- because the final product is only the matter.)

May be because the most of building has been empty and so much wall space

was available, not only  nobody seemed to concerned about and policing,

the graffiti in this aria is really rampant.  Still, something peculiar about the

Graffiti in this area was that the most of them has been done as one-off work.  

Rarely see the repeated pattern by the semi-professional graffiti artist who

is doing the same tagging everywhere.  But here done by the guest member ! 

This one seems to be one of the largest, and obviously taken so much effort to make.  

In that extent I appreciate the enthusiasm and the effort (and the amount of paint)

the author has put in — but not necessary feel it’s appeal.

(What this one want to say ? —– Cosmic particle ? —– why it’s here  ??? )

Naturally, some are good others are rubbish still, it was certainly a try

and the expression of the person.

Some are common design of tagging.

But some are showing quite artistic 3D approach. —– I don’t know whether this 

mirror was originally broken or somebody did it after, anyhow, showing broken 

mirror as a “shocking image” would only appeal to the westerner.  

We Japanese doesn’t see it in any bad omen.  Broken mirror is not special to us.

Still, the position of each sticks with mirror matched the Rules of Ikebana.  I like it.

I praise the attempt to express in 3D —– at least it made me smile.  Ha ha ha.

Some are quite commercial !   Still, I like a cool figure in the right Photo !

And some are showing — incomprehensible noise. 

Try to paint something without knowing what to do.  (still just DO something)

Young people often mistaken that the attention some of the marginal subject

draw  (such as violence, sex, death etc = emotionally alarming subjects) AS

” artistic appeal”. — it called  Scandalism or  Cheap Sensationalism.

Same to that  ” Bad DJ thinks, the loud music is the impressive music”.  😀

It seems that the Graffiti is a passing phase of growing up.  = before establishing

one’s own “Reward system”  in the brain  ie;  before knowing what to do and what

would be fruitful (successful) —– Just try to DO SOMETHING (easy). 

It is the reflection of their irritation and the urge, try to show “Look, I can DO”  !

And it was the reason why here only few of them are showing the artistic sparkle.

(Anyone can have an irritation but only the one who born to be an artist can draw.)

Art is not an idea but the intuitive resonance which hit other’s subconscious.

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White building — Hackney Wick

To go to Olympic park, we arranged to meet at “White building” in Hackney Wick.

It sound rather arbitrary instruction though, when I got there I realized that,

it was a very well known place to the locals and the people coming to the aria.

= In fact, a person I asked the direction replied “We are going there” so, I followed.

But, in reality, there is nothing in Hackney Wick — no shops around the station.

= we may call  “Ghost Town”  though, may be a bit more moderate expression

of  “Derelict  place” would be appropriate. 

In the East-end of London,  this area used to be a part of River Lee’s flood-plane.  

And the time when the industry relied on the shipping to move their material or

products, those area must be the bustling busy place.  (70, 90 years ago ? )

Alongside the river and the canal, the building used be a wharf, warehouse, factory

— are all empty, and now, may be accommodating  a lots of squatting  inhabitants.   

Likewise on the water,  lots of house-boat accommodating the people who is

keep drifting on. (not to became a moored residents to avoid the tax.)

So that, for the people who loves to live in freedom and the people share the same

spirit,  the artists,  loves to come to this place called Crate (or Space Studio) in the

White building.  = one of the converted wharf = caffe or bar what so ever called.

And I heard, this place would be clouded by hundreds of people in the evening !

The conversion project started a year before the 2012 London Olympic,  partnered  

with the London Legacy Development Cooperation.   And the Space Studio project  

was sponsored by Bloomberg.   This is a success story in  the Area Re-generation.

To go to Olympic park, the reason why we’ve chose Hackney Wick instead 

of usual Stratford to start, was to visit this White building.

All the staffs were very friendly and kind.  Though, they looks much more like

an artist than a waiter.  ( And, they got in house brewery = for own Crate Beer.)

I can see a lots of their hand work every where.  

Very resourceful improvisation and the craftsmanship. 

The customer will be well catered with their  Pizza  and house brewed beer.

(I had apple juice though.) 

The building having many studios and artist in residents and in deed,

this is one of the largest studio complex in London .

May be I should come again to see those studio and meet the artists.

 The drawback to become artist in residence here was that the place and their

beer was too nice — so that, just spent and live the time in feast.  Not much Art.   

And that was the main reason why the residents Artists move out of the place.    

I think, to lead those artists, the road-sign alone is not enough to

direct their life —– or YES ??? —– Then how ???  

Info’ of their activities =  < http://www.r-urban-wick.net/ > 

< http://www.publicworksgroup.net >  (but not much about Whitebuilding)

The Whitebuilding,   Queen’s Yard,  Hackney Wick,  London   E9  5EN

 

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Olympic Park (London) — Shooting Party (2)

Instead of weekly meeting in the Greenwich, we decided to go to

the Olympic Park for a photo session.

 As usual with my good luck, the weather turned out to be very fine and not too

hot, considering the day before and the day after were both dull cloudy.  

Still, the way to Olympic park from Hackney Wick Station was a long walk.

Then the hint of Olympic things appeared on the horizon ! —  A ha !  

You see, it’s a middle of nowhere, still this is a part of London !

 Coming closer, it looks not too bad.

(You believe or not, this is my first ever visit to the Olympic park.

— in fact, I didn’t even watch any event as I don’t have TV.   

Except the Opening of which I saw it in a pub.    🙂  )

On the approach, how on earth, why excise machine was here —– ! ?  😀

And the sticking logs — ?   It seems the organizer had a headache to fill the space.  

And end up like a jumble-sale, put any idea, any installation available.   😀 

So, I have no idea, why this slide got anything to do with Olympic.

The visitor, who is the most enjoying this park must be those young Muslim

girls playing with their Skate-board —– going between the jetting water while  

avoiding getting wet = was a skill ! 

I’m not a fan of Anish Capor who designed this tower — my thought only

went to pity the constructor that they must had a nightmare to keep

each rod in position.   (I guess, all of them got different length.)

Round dish near the top is the viewing plat-home —– though,

going up there will cost  whopping  £15 !   So I said “It’s a rip-off”  😀

Still,  I learned that this was called  “Orbit” — So, it’s round and round !

Therefore, I had my exercise which cost nothing.

While walking back, suddenly this Citadel appeared.  

Blimey  it’s a scene from a Surrealist’s cinema.

Though, it was pretty easy to climb as it was intended so.

= a lots of holds and stances, no chimney or overhang.

Reflection on the mirror panel under a bridge.  

(It seems, she was doing a kind of religious practice.

—– while others were chanting. )

One thing was certain, not much content though, at least  the area is burst !  

= Good for a walk and may be good to take picture of the sky.  😀

PS : Lens used was = Pentax 15 mm F3.5 /  

Canon EF zoom 24~70 F2.8  on Canon 5D Mk-III

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Scissors’ Sorcery

Yet more puzzle on the previous post was that joke

” Scissors working on to cut a hole by itself”    🙂  

Nobody would believe it though, it looks, the scissors are flying in the air.

Has Scissors image been added onto a photo of the Tape using  PS ?

And has shadow been created to make looks, the scissors in the air ?

—– Yes, some of the people are pretty good at PS and may be manage

to do this kind of sticking job in 10 min.

 

 But I’m also a sculptor —–

 I rather like to spend the same

 10 min to twist a wire instead of

 sitting on front of a PC.  

Actuary, the scissors has been glued to the wire and held on to the position.   

Same idea to suspend a  “Levitating Guru”  in the air,  and quite common trick

among the photographers. =  So, this is yet another reason why you should

see the photo with a pinch of salt. —– Photo lies.  😀

Still, to make a photo to trick, is nothing but a pleasure of the photographer.  

= It’s really a fun.

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Hole on the Tape

 

In the age of PS and CG, now the people doesn’t necessary believe the image

they saw in a photograph.    It could be cunningly Photoshoped or Filtered.

— In deed, Photographer is an expert of manipulating the image and its context.   

In fact, it is an inherent limitation of any “Expressive” business =

Speak Truth, Draw Truth, anything is not perfect, especially when people got an

illusion, that the photo is a first-hand real reflection of  the situation or the thing.

The more believe the more fooled, hence better detached.

Since when I revealed the reality what “The Created Lens” looks like,

before I get a praise how pretty the resulting image was, I received the 

questions asking me how I could make a hole on the sticky tape so perfect ?

Well, — to a person “It’s a Photoshop” and to the other “It was cut by the best

Henkel scissors, like a magic.  Good German scissors would work by itself,

like a broom in the music ” Sorcerer’s Apprentice ”  by Richard Strauss.

Have look the Top Photo here.  The work of scissors was captured in action.” 

You see, this is an evidence.  You got to believe.   It’s not Photoshop !  

—– So, you got to see, — a photo with a pinch of salt.

Try to cut a small hole on a sticky tape is a futile attempt whether

it was a Henkel or not.   Paper Punch could make perfect round hole,

 but only  1/4″ (6.35 mm) size unless you got an industrial machine.

—– Still, we might able to simulate the work of Hole Punch. = So, I did

put a metal washer under a tape and press its edge with round object.

(in here, it was a bottom of  a table knife.)

We can find a different size of washer, but if you can’t find the exact diameter,

drill a hole by yourself.   (Size of drill bit may not be what you want though.)

Anyhow, in the case like this, it wouldn’t be so critical.

(If you need very precise work, ask a shop doing laser cutting.  But it’s not cheap.)

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Meadow Flower taken by Homemade Lens

This flower meadow was suddenly created in the past 2 weeks.  

It was a green patch between the buildings of the council housing estate.

Two weeks ago, somebody made a bald patch on the grass, — then after few

rains, it became a flower meadow. = Packaged Instant Meadow !

From this meadow, my regular diet of fuzzy photo was made — but this time,

I used a Home made lens which is a Retro-focus type,  2 element lens.

Sound a bit ostentatious though, in short, as the main convex lens had a little 

short focal length,  I put another concave lens to extend its back-focus, hence

it became a Retro-focus type. —– (Main convex lens came from a toy and the

Front concave lens was my broken short-eye-sighted glass.)

 This photo was a comparison.  = taken by the same

Wide-angle Double-density Pinhole lens, I’ve been using.

Note : Regardless the distance, Pinhole never posses a core of sharp image.

And rather blueish color cast, because not much glass lens there to block 

the UV.  —– (It’s a Pinhole ! )

 For this Double-element lens,  I improvised an “inter-changeable F-aperture” to

reduce a halation by stopping down.    (Sound heavy “F-aperture” though, it was

just a hole on a black tape to stick on the back of the lens.   🙂  ) 

——– (Photo above : The clear samples of Iris (F-aperture) Effect =

——– Left = Fully open / 10 mm.  Center Photo = 6 mm.  Right Photo = 3 mm.

Despite the utter humble origin, amazingly this lens has certain image quality.

And those pink flower having rain drops on it —– just able to see !

So, the image was Soft and Fuzzy, because of too much Coma- aberration

still, they are retaining certain sharp image in the center.   😀

This is a part enlargement of the photo above —– Not too bad.  I like it.

(Can you see the water droplets on the petals ! )

And able to give enough fun !

I have no idea, what those flowers called.

Still, I like this glowing color ! — not the Sun, but like a kindling fire in the ash.

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PS :  May be much of your annoyance,  this is it !   = THE home made Lens.

Photo Right shows “F-aperture” ! = Hole in a Black sticky tape.  😀

= To clack a nut of creativity, it doesn’t need to be ostentatiously heavy 

Lens, even though the Camera happen to be expensive.

= Typical case was, just smear the Lens with sliver to soften the image.

Heavy pretense blocks the flow of the idea. = Anything can be done.

Matter is Just Do and discover a FUN.

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Orange Peel

You may not guess what I’m going to talk about.   The photo here is Orange Peels.

Orange Peel (of its powder) has been used as a flavoring spice or even a 

Chinese herbal medicine. (= moderate stimulant to the stomach )

—– But I’m not going to use it in any form but I’m going to get lid of them.

Though, if you throw them into a rubbish bin in the kitchen, together with

carrot skin etc etc,  inevitably you’ll have a rotten wet bottom in the bin where

Fruits Fly thrives.  — Still, try to fight against them is the futile, impossible task.

A bin with lid didn’t work = they get inside when it was open = and lay eggs =

then come back in hundreds.   You can’t catch, you can’t hit = they fly so quick.

Throw a rubbish every day is the one  answer.  (Sounds quite paranoia isn’t it ?) 

And make them composted in a jar with tight lid, is the another answer,

though, when I tried, I realized that I don’t have a garden to use the compost. 

Anyhow, my rubbish for 2 weeks is not more than a super-market plastic bag.  

—– On the end, I got the answer = wet rubbish IS the root cause of trouble.

= Why not dry them ! = If no wet rubbish, no Fruits Fly would come, hence

= no trouble, no fight. —– isn’t this the Buddhist’s like answer !   🙂

(Same as, “No alcohol, no trouble. No woman, no trouble” kind of approach  !  

Save the joke of Mahayana Buddhism “Having trouble IS the Enlightenment”

though, Fruits Fly has no fun at all.)   😀

= So, I leave the Orange peel,  Vegetable skin etc to spread on the plastic tray

and let them dry. (Looks strange though, nobody would see it anyway.)  

—– When they are dry, put them into the bin.  

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Just a little bit more attention, then able to have a peaceful life !

Isn’t this a Zen ?  —– or do you think it’s a nuts or paranoid ?  

Ha ha ha ha  😀 —– Have a nice Friday 13th, and a fun-full weekend.

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Cherry

One of the most popular tree of Cherry, they got hundred of species and may 

be thousand of garden varieties.    So that, all of their flowers look more or less

the same though, when it came to the fruits, they are amazingly different.  =

Not only the sizes or color —– but only a thing it would be certain, is, the most

of them are not nice to eat at all.   Only an exception I ever encountered was,  

the Cherry trees standing on the road side outskirt of  Wurzburg in Germany.

(Though, I wouldn’t guaranty  you to find the same street and the tree.  😀 )

That cherry was the same kind sold in the shop, the dark colored one.

I guess, the local council just planted the same variety for Cherry fruits.

(But I don’t know how their flowers looks like. )

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Many years ago, once European farmers tried to export their cherries to

Japan though, non was sold.  To the Japanese, Cherry got to have the color

like the one in the top photo and of cause the sweetness with subtle acidity.

So, this Cherry got the right color, the size was somewhat a half of “Salable”

standard in Japan but this one got awful bitter taste.

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Strangely you may think, not so many fruits yelling Cherry in Japan.  

There are hundreds of different Cherries there though, most of the tree

commonly planted there were the variety called  Somei-yoshino, which

was created  in a Somei village somewhere north of Edo (now called Tokyo).

Since it was a specially created hybrid, this Somei-yoshino is infertile ; ie

there is no cherry fruit !  = No seed.   And all the Somei-yoshino in the world

were propagated from single tree by means of grafting = one by one by hand. 

Therefore, thousands cherry trees planted on the bank of Potomac river

Washington, US were all created in the same manner and genetically

they are all identical clones.

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What makes this Somei-yoshino so special was,  when flower is open, there is

no leaves  and when the flower finished, each flower petals falls like a snow.

= Symbolizing the Ethos of Samurai.   The beauty in the death.    ! ! !

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Boiled Cucumber !

These days, the stall on the open market was filled with good flesh fruits.

So, my mouth was occupied by the Cherry, Strawberry, etc etc —– then

I realized that a cucumber has been in my fridge uneaten.  It was intended

for salad kind with tomato though, as the position of flesh food has been

taken over by those seasonal fruits, it has been forgotten and got old

more than a week and the skin was getting yellowish.   It is no longer suite

for flesh eating though it is a crime to throw the food away. 

So, I decided to cook it boiled !  

I don’t think I ever seen a cucumber was cooked boiled or fried still,

a sister of cucumber = bitter melon (bitter gourd) has been cooked in many 

different way and could even be in a Miso soup  —– why not cucumber.  

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I just peel the skin and cut to one-mouth size and boiled in a half depth of

water with added Dashi (mostly fish powder),  some  Soy-source and

few drip of West Indian hot chilly source, for about half an hour slow cook.  

This kind of cooking isn’t  far from boiled Daikon = I would say “Not too bad”.

—– Adding to this story, once before when I got hugely disappointing 

Honeydew melon (that yellow thing) which was not ripe nor sweet at all, 

instead to throw it to a bin, I peeled the hard skin and cut to 2″ size and

boiled it in the same way as above.  

Eating those as a snack or with boiled rice as a side-dish, the taste is

unmistakably Japanese, especially served with shaved Katsuo-bushi

(dried Bonito fish) like the photo above —– I would say, yummy.  🙂

We have rather hard programmed eating habit though, it could be easily

broken and try different way.  Why not !

(And it might save the planet in long run —– not mention the pocket.)  🙂

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PS : In a Blog like this, if I said something like “Know thanks (Kansha) to

the Dharma who provided us to keep living”,   “Be humble” or

“Feel compassion to the Cucumber who died for us to survive” it will

NOT be a Buddhist’s Blog.  It’s a sham =  nothing but a Marketing ploy,

same to a spin doctor who is telling the sweet words to sell dubious medicine.

When “So-called Buddhist” got a notion such as Buddhism, Charity, Compassion

etc etc, it is a brake down of Mushin, Ichijo, existence to be the Void.

(if it WAS there at all before)

Zen Buddhism is not for talking about but just DO and just BE.

= Just cook and eat.

 

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Tilting Macro Bellows — Field Test

Following the test like previous post of homemade bellows, I took it to the park.

Setup was either Micro Nikkor 55 mm or Tamron 90 mm Macro on the bellows

which was mounted on Canon 5D  Mk-III.   And the most of the shots were taken

while the lens was tilted up to 30 degree. (Nikkor 55 mm = up to 20 degree,

Tamron 90 mm = up to 30 degree —– before the corner cut-off starts.)  

And as no F-aperture control, all the photos were taken with

fully open F-aperture.  (And hand held.)

Photo above, Right photo, you may see something strange = why the back petal

was out of focus. —– Because the lens was tilted.

Those photos were the too conspicuous demonstration of the tilting effect.  😀

But those were a bit more subtle.

And above left photo was made with Pan-focus effect and

the right was with Shallow-focus effect.

Shallow focus with rather exaggerated out of focus Bokhe. 

With the Bellows extension, the lense can give even larger close-up.

There were a lots of Bees and Bumble Bees though, they were too busy.

This small black fly seemed to taking a rest.

This Hovering Fly — right 2 photos, she was in the air hovering.

(I needed at least F5.6, not fully open 2.5)

Looks quite  inconspicuous,  still this photo was benefited by the tilting effect.

—– Tilting the lens works well though, to have full benefit of it need to have it

from infinity, not just on the close-up = But to do it,

I need to make yet another Tilting SLR using DSLR body.   🙂

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