Photography

They say a photo is worth a thousand words. Last week I heard of a competition being run in my department. This was to photograph our time on our degree course for one category, the other to photograph our time in the city, views of the city and wider university.

Neither of these are easy, lots of design and planning may have to go in to this. I did not intend on entering this competition. However, it has set my mind churning, churning to find a photo which represents my subject and its wider context. This could not be entered in to the competition, but if I had to create a photo of Environmental monitoring, modelling and reconstruction or Geography what would the photo be.

When I did my undergraduate course I was in Canterbury, Kent. In this time I went on many a walk with Sam (friend and housemate). These two photos have him in them. I happened to look through my collection and came upon this photo and have made some simple edits. These photos sum up geography in many respects.

In the first instance, the colour one. It was not designed to look aged, but due to the light balance and October morning mist across the farmland, grassland, barracks area. It appears to be 1960s a bit. This photo shows a man not just looking, studying his surroundings, binoculars at the ready. Prepared for bird watching and spotting any form of wildlife that we may pass. He stares to the left wondering what is down the way. The rural idyll that geographers talk of so much and prescribes the general public's want for a perfect countryside is seen here.



Agriculture in the foreground, woodland in the background. He stands studying the complexities of the local geomorphological processes, the conservation issues and weather at the site. Standing completely still he awaits the natural habitat to open up for him on this cold and misty morning.




In the second version. I have made it black and white and adjusted the balance. Its purposely aged. I tried to get a 1930s-1940s feel, but without giving it a yellow staining for real this looks slightly new. The sharp black of the scarf around the neck, with the foreground sharpened; the background still in tact but making you wonder what's going on it still hides the big secret behind the mist. The field disintegrates before reaching the tree line at ground level and yet we know there is a woodland out there.

The Incompetence of Death

Well the title is purposely designed to make you think. I am going to talk about death and the lack of discussion that surrounds death these days. I also want to bring home the ideas of why we try to ignore it and why we are so oblivious to other peoples needs.

First off, I found out this week that an Aunt to a friend of mine died this week. For many of us we have experienced this effect of losing a loved one whether family or friend. However, many people do not experience the affect of losing a close friend or family member until they are almost middle aged.

For those who lose someone early on in life and worse still that of a parent can be tough. I for one know this, losing mum at 15. Still young in life I was not quite set up and ready to enter the real world on my own and some friends left me to get on with it whilst others rallied round to make sure I didn't go off the rails and lose my mind. This I am much grateful for and those who were around at the time know how much that means. Or I hope they do at least.

When did society stop caring though, why does everyone attempt to hide the pain of what is going on in there life? Is this for professional integrity, should those in managerial roles that fall apart at losing someone be demanded to stay in focus...what does this do to the mental health of the person in the long term? What does this do for the managing our feelings. On the other hand, if they did not show any effect or feeling of loss, does this then make them a terrible person, a person with no care and attention?

Well I say yes, and this is slightly hypocritical of myself. In order to not lose complete order and just let everything fall to pieces we need composure and assurances. I attempt to keep working at what I'm doing, by keeping busy I do not allow the feelings of loss to become too over whelming and in doing so I also have a way of finding time to reflect on the past and the loss.

But, I have noticed over the years that the more we hide from death the sharper the pain can be for experiencing the loss again and again years after the death, and the pain is also sharper for ignoring death all together and then when it happens were expected to keep ourselves in focus even though we have lost someone that very day or week or month.

This is overly humiliating for the human society. We are no longer allowed to feel these things.

On being told that a friend has experienced a loss we should all acknowledge the loss and feel sympathetic. For those who say they have no feelings and just say "well OK get back to work asap" are they cold and inconsiderate? Most definitely. However, this is a two way street. Firstly, the person who is told of the death needs to have experienced some loss of there own, otherwise they cannot imagine what its like for the person who has to tell them. Secondly, if they have never experienced any loss at all, they are unlikely to know what to say or do... at that most people do not know what to say or do, they are unsure of what the right thing is to say or do when somebody comes to them and says, " A friend died last week".

Looking for compassion and understanding, meaning and a sense of loss or hopelessness starts to creep in. The person who has lost the friend or family member needs some coping strategy and humans will undoubtedly try to find a strategy. The mind begins to devour itself if left to its own devices. The person who has lost someone begins to long road to recovery for the grief. This in some respects can lead to the five forms of grief:

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/the-5-stages-of-loss-and-grief/

Denial and Isolation,
Anger
Bargaining
Depression
Acceptance

All of which can happen fast or slow and in any order.

The isolation can begin very quickly as everyone gets on and you're left behind still wondering how life is ever going to be the same again. This is only going to be made worse by those who are told and react badly or inconsiderately towards the news.

Therefore we must stand together and acknowledge that death is happening and be an understanding, caring and open person to those who do suffer a loss. It is not possible to carry on ignoring the truth, one day we are all going to die. What is going to be left behind, will we have children, parents, brothers, sisters, close friends and not so close friends, no one?

What happens after death no one knows, this is an unknown until it is happening. That is why faith exists, because it is a hope that life goes on even if on another plane of existence. We all need to believe, and if we do not believe in a high power then maybe this is a reason in itself for why some people are so cold towards death. They are scared by the idea beyond comprehension or perhaps take it that what once existed must end and nothing after our time on the Earth exists. However, would this not make those disbelievers not only uncaring in certain respects, if of that mentality-certainly those who have no faith can also be the most caring for time is short on our planet-and wouldn't they also take into consideration the actual feeling of death. For we all go to bed and shut our eyes and when asleep we are none the wiser of what's going on around us. Is sleep like a form of death? And with sleep an unconscious activity, would we ever know that we were dead if it was like sleep?

After all, when we do go to bed we may never wake up again. One day we may just drop dead, and death is everywhere, but we just accept that another person in the news has died and carry on, forgetting that another person or family are at a loss. We need to begin to be a little bit more caring and look out for one another. It seems death is never spoken of and when it is spoken of, it's wrapped back up in its box as fast as possible once its happened, (No pun intended). Another life has come and gone, time moves on and it has forgotten. Everything left to the history books to unravel the past for the new generation. Where death is everywhere but most certainly kept between the pages of history books.

Lets not be silly about death lets try to have a grown up discussion and make sure everyone is OK with what is happening around them. Keep your eyes peeled for you never know death maybe just round the corner and someone you know will die or someone you know will tell you someone they knew has died . Be caring.

Voices

I admittedly was standing in a noisy pub called The Font in Manchester on Thursday evening. However, one of my class mates who has only spoken to me a couple of time mis took my accent and asked if I was German.

My accent is an aquired taste. I've been told I sound a bit like:
South London,
Southern England,
Oxford,
New Zealand,
German,
and apparently have something similar to a famous voice, but no one could work out who.

All I know is, I'm certainly Southern England in origin born in Sutton and Carshalton and lived in the Epsom and Ewell area most of my life until recently (last 5 years). I've spent three in Canterbury, Kent and One in West Berkshire now I'm in Manchester.

The rest well I know I can delve into Yorkshire, the Somerset/Devon region, Scottish and South African with a relative amount of ease as long as I have practiced it before hand or have some one next to me with the accent. I tend to mimic if I'm not careful, I do watch myself for this. I can speak to Yorkshire friends or go to York and come true Northern. It is quite scary.

A question was asked of a character in the book I'm reading - "Set In Darkness" by Ian Rankin. They were noted as able to mimic quite easily, they were english by nature but living in Scotland
"...is the Mimic an effect of wanting to fit in to a group, society set or culture?"

The answer for the character I have yet to find, but for me, my voice is just another part of who I am. My voice is always the same to me...so why do I appear to sound like a mix of everyone. I'm not generic and friends who I've known for a long time say I sound most like that of Southern England, so why do I have such a mixed reaction from northern quarters of England and over seas people?

The human mind: What do these pictures say to you?

Reflection

On now finding it is February, January had a number of shocking events in it I prefer to forget. January 2010 is not much different to that of many years gone by. Still when you realise that music is practically telling your life you have to begin to wonder. Music is a very powerful instrument upon society and can provide the mood and tell a story for society, history, love, and many other individual and group views that we see during the day. Music mostly associates itself with that of love and prominent views (quite often political) in current times.

Given that this blog is forever sucked into Pink Floyd, sometime I wonder if Pink Floyd has gotten under my skin to the point I just think and feel in its words. This I am glad to say I do not, this does not necessarily mean that I do not ever as when listening to them I can often look back on the past. The same goes for specific tracks from Tears For Fears and oddly enough Scissor Sisters. Karl Jenkins can make you cry if you listen to 'The Armed Man' Album for long enough, however whilst not necessarily delicate, Rammstein is by no means an easy listen being rock-metal. However they do have there moments which seem just right musically although the words are often not the nicest to translate.

Therefore, I leave you with these words from the Pink Floyd Album "The Final Cut" as at the moment it seems to set the correct tone for the current efforts. Especially the line highlighted in bold.

1

When you're one of the few to land on your feet
What do you do to make ends meet?
(Teach.)
Make them mad, make them sad, make them add two and two.
Make them me, make them you, make them do what you want them to.
Make them laugh, make them cry, make them lie down and die.

2

Sweetheart sweetheart are you fast asleep? Good.
'Cause that's the only time that I can really speak to you.
And there is something that I've locked away
A memory that is too painful
To withstand the light of day.

3

After the service when you're walking slowly to the car
And the silver in her hair shines in the cold November air
You hear the tolling bell
And touch the silk in your lapel
And as the tear drops rise to meet the comfort of the band
You take her frail hand
And hold on to the dream.

4

You put on your brave face and slip over the road for a jar.
Fixing your grin as you casually lean on the bar,
Laughing too loud at the rest of the world
With the boys in the crowd
You hide, hide, hide,
Behind petrified eyes.

You believed in their stories of fame, fortune and glory.
Now you're lost in a haze of alcohol soft middle age
The pie in the sky turned out to be miles too high.
And you hide, hide, hide,
Behind brown and mild eyes.

1. One of the Few, 2. The Hero's Return, 3. The Gunner's Dream, 4. Paranoid Eyes
http://www.pink-floyd-lyrics.com/html/one-of-the-few-final-lyrics.html