art

Underneath

/ mikeosbornphoto / 12 Comments

Subway sign

Elephant and Castle in London is notorious with city dwellers for its rundown shopping centre and existence as a major road artery just south of the River Thames.

Beneath the busy traffic system lies a network of subways, allowing pedestrians to safely negotiate their way from one side of Elephant to another.

It’s adorned with cheerful, vibrant murals – official art unlike the Leake Street graffiti tunnel – but is a confusing maze to negotiate. I spent my first week in London staying locally, and often went round in circles. At night-time, it can feel a little intimidating.

For this shoot I wanted to get lost to cover every corner of the system and pass as many fellow pedestrians as possible. On my way out, I followed the signs to the Tube station – now that seemed like the longest walk…

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The Photo Shop

Undercover art

/ mikeosbornphoto / 23 Comments

Authorised graffiti area

This is an alternative London tourist attraction, which you can find in a dank, badly-lit tunnel which snakes underneath Waterloo rail station.

The Leake Street tunnel is a place where spray paint art is permitted, and has a strong association with renowned street artist Banksy.

It’s plastered in a colourful explosion of graffiti and is living, breathing street art gallery. On the afternoon I ventured down there, several people were busy creating work with spray cans. The tunnel smarts with the tang of solvents and urine – not an environment for the delicate.

For the photographer, it’s a moody, atmospheric place with both light and shadows. You can create some vibrant abstract frames with the colours and textures that bleed off the walls, while it responds well to some HDR editing. This is quite literally the city’s underbelly.

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The Photo Shop

The old power station

/ mikeosbornphoto / 8 Comments

This daunting edifice by the River Thames is one of the most visited places in London. Tourists flock from near and far to explore the Tate Modern gallery’s collection of art.

The building used to be Bankside Power Station and is a solid, industrial gem of architecture. In fact my visit was about capturing the vast space of the old turbine hall, now used to house ambitious art installations – but empty when I went. 

I clambered up the levels as visitors shuffled around the exhibits, and of course went to the upper floor which offers a beautiful London view.

Tate Modern is a world away from its older, more genteel counterpart Tate Britain, captured in an earlier post.

North London vista (2)

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Playground of art

/ mikeosbornphoto / 14 Comments

Waterfront platform

Travel to one of the most southerly places on Earth, and you’re in for a surprise.

The Museum of Old and New Art – MONA – has made its home overlooking a bay near Tasmania’s capital, Hobart. It’s the baby of wealthy art collector David Walsh, who made his fortune from gambling.

If you’re expecting a stately trudge around an Australian Tate Modern, think again. You don’t even make it inside the doors and the outlandish architecture of the surrounds are a beguiling delight, with rusty metal ramparts and even an elaborate chapel tucked away on site.

Getting to grips with the collection is a novelty as you’re handed an iPod to navigate your way around floors of exhibits which dazzle, challenge and quite simply entertain, from water spouts which spurt out randomly generated words to the pungent-smelling cloaca, which mimics every part of human digestion.

There is also a room dedicated to artworks where “parental discretion is advised”. Hard not to make a beeline for that. It’s not all titillating and subversive at the museum, but interesting it most certainly is.

After the art, there’s the inevitable gift shop and raft of cafes. Outsized beanbags are scattered across the lawn where you can lounge and reflect, while noticing a wealth of quirky details in every corner of the grounds.

Walsh may have put his cultural playground in a distant place, but if you make it there, this experience has to be high up on your list.

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72nd floor abstract - clean (2)

Bokeh blobs

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The rain had been falling in pulses all afternoon. This was a welcome break in the weather when the sun streamed through the trees. I caught the light while the lens was at rest, creating a whole frame of bokeh and orbs. 

With a second shot, I applied the digital paintbrush to make a blue frame punched through with light.

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Winter bokeh

Bokeh in blue ink

After the rain, the moisture-dappled surfaces of some parked cars were irresistible to shoot with my macro lens. The fine focus honed in on the droplets, while more bokeh was revealed. All hail the wet weather!

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Velvet sheen - clean (2)