Billy Watson and Faustus and Mephistopheles at The Lawnmarket

Throughout August the whole world is reflected in some format in Edinburgh during the festival. It is no surprise then to find Faustus and Mephistopheles parading over The Lawnmarket to advertise their show all along the Royal Mile. With a trembling flash the devil in all his finery is set out and within the world in a single exposure.  It is quite strange how we enjoy portraying evil with such allure.  The devil is said to have the best tunes and he seemingly dresses sharply and I believe steals all the best lines out of any script.

Fortunately for me and Billy the devil’s ministers were very approachable for a photograph or two.  The devil takes the hind most or so it said.  We put our best feet forward and hoofed it over to Mephistopheles for a quick photo opportunity.  On this occasion we seem to have got away with our souls and some good, or is that ‘wicked’ pictures?

Billy Watson and Faustus and Mephistopheles at The Lawnmarket

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157638487028383/

Faustus and Mephistopheles at The Lawnmarket

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157638487612853/

Billy Watson

www.billywatson.tv

https://www.facebook.com/billywatsontv

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157634803223764/

www.phhsykes.co.uk

phhsykes@googlemail.com

Pink Floyd The Wall Ant Art at The Monkey Thurgoland

The Pink Floyd wall inside the Monkey Thurgoland is Anthony’s tribute to the band that has fuelled his life with so many visions.  The internal chalk work has now been featured twice on different walls.  It sets off several conversations and brings many memories to life.  From just a few key words imaginations are set in motion.  The brick structure featured as Car Park Art has unfortunately been vandalised.  The broken bricks still mark the act carried out by those who chose destruction over creation.  Some of the external exhibits have been stolen as well as damaged.  The chalk has been revived inside and the external structure may yet rise again.  From the ruins left after destruction there is always a new construction available.

The premiere exhibition at The Monkey Gallery opens on Sunday 22 September 2013.  The gallery is open from 1pm til 6pm.  There is a live installation performance from 2pm to 6pm.  There will be more information soon on www.mmant.co.uk

Anthony has been appearing in Boomtown on BBC3 in 2013.

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157634803223764/

www.phhsykes.co.uk

phhsykes@googlemail.com

Monkey Sign of the Times

There is always something new to see in the art gallery at the Monkey in Thurgoland. These pictures record 10 new signs just added to the collection at the Monkey. The signs are inspired from others seen in various locations where they have been displayed as street art. Some of the texts have been radically altered to fit to their current location. These signs have come in from the streets for a change of atmosphere, but they are also traveling along new roads and virtual highways now.  Here we can examples of 'Street Art' coming into to a gallery and going out not through the doors but along the lines of the World Wide Web as they find a new audience.  Please feel free to alter these signs and to reuse them wherever you see an opportunity for them to flourish.

Anthony is currently appearing on Boomtown on BBC3 at 10pm on Wednesdays.

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes
www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157634803223764/
www.phhsykes.co.uk
phhsykes@googlemail.com

Edinburgh Fringe Mirrored

At almost every turn there is another eye catching splendid image created and lost.  The phrenetic paths we follow in our idiosyncratic ways form so many chance occurrences.  Within the framework of the world we live we all weave our threads into a wonderful expression.  Just now and again moments otherwise lost are recorded.  At times when I see an opportunity and release the shutter of the camera I feel sure the blink of the reflex inside the camera has taken the image that I saw forming and that the resulting photographic image will be worthy of sharing. 

In the depths of a reflection the world as we see it altered.  Often the reflection brings a startling change in luminance and of course a reflection is a mirrored image.  The power produced in an altered image is that of giving us new perspectives.  Even a fleeting glance of a reflection brings a fresh focus on a subject.  When a single lens camera is used to record reflections the photographer gets a peculiar view of the reflection through the camera.  The single lens offers a different image from our usual world of vision.  This new vision has a rigidly fixed focus.  The intensity of the luminance through the lens and having the eye being trained on a reflective surface through the exclusion of the ambient lighting by the camera gives a view to the photographer that is only partially recorded in any photographic exposures.

In this series of images I saw a reflection and through the single lens of the camera I encountered several images created by depth of field and telescopic isolation.  The moving people have moved on including me and yet an ephemeral collection of markers of light remain.  When read by electronic devices the code created can be seen as a lasting record of that day.  The production of straight sided technical records of light can still encompass several visual keys to unlock in the viewer an element of the atmosphere present at the moment the photograph was taken.  Reflected in these images is the day as I saw it and the place as I felt it.

The 3 images published form a snapshot of the moment

Edinburgh Fringe Mirrored

www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/9607172126/

Royal Mile in reflection

www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/9607172126/

Edinburgh Looking Brass Triptych

www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/9607170208/

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157634803223764/

www.phhsykes.co.uk

phhsykes@googlemail.com

F8 Collective at the West End Fair St Johns Edinburgh

The West End Fair Just off Lothian Road in St John’s Church offers a myriad of stalls with many crafts and designs to catch the eye and to attract you towards a purchase, or two.  The F8 Collective stall was in my sights as I have been to photographic events with several of the photographers that form the group.  It was good to see their work exhibited for sale in such a great setting.  The whole of St. John’s Church both inside and outside is buzzing throughout the Edinburgh Festival.  There is performance and exhibition space here as well as the craft fair.  The church remains open as the festival events are housed in extensions and in the grounds.

The picture I have taken of the cards that I bought was created with plenty of grain to illustrate the work of Audrey Brown and Caroline McDermott whilst not copying their productions in high resolution.  I hope that the quality and versatility of the work of the Collective is evident in the pictures I have loaded of their stall.  As a photographer I am always happy to see how other photographers view the world.  In the F8 Collective I can see some excellent style and great techniques bringing out the individual expression of each photographer.  Unfortunately my brief review does not give you much time to catch the photographers at the stall as they are there now until 25 August 2013.  I look forward to further F8 Collective productions.

The F8 Collective

https://www.facebook.com/pages/F8-Collective/594074647275959

St. John’s Church Edinburgh

www.stjohns-edinburgh.org.uk

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157634803223764/

www.phhsykes.co.uk

phhsykes@googlemail.com

The Greatest Liar in All the World

A darkly funny sequel to the story of Pinocchio: the carnival is breathing its last breath and with it so is The Liar.  Tired of his lies, he hijacks the performance at gunpoint to tell the real story of his infamous origins.  The panicked cast of freaks and misfits do their best to lead the audience on a journey from his conception to the love and loss of the beautiful blue haired girl.  Filled with live music, puppetry, physical theatre and clowning, The Liar twists and tweaks reality in this raucous cautionary tale.

The cast for this production make for some splendid photo opportunities.  Their superb outfits and makeup set them apart from several displays from the fringe.  There is an air of strangeness keeping these characters active on the High Street.  With the aid of August sun shine and fill in flash the intense attitudes of the actors offer compelling viewing.

www.familiadelanoche.com

Photographs ©2013 PHH Sykes

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phhsykes/sets/72157634803223764/

www.phhsykes.co.uk

phhsykes@googlemail.com