Salts Mill - Roof Space

Leeds Photographic Society held its annual exhibition in the roof space of Salts Mill at the weekend. I really like this roof space and have posted a picture of it before. This view shows probably less than half of the length of the room, it really is an impressive space. The pictures by the way, were excellent.

(There was also an exhibition of photographs by the St. Peter's Church Photography Group which I unfortunately missed on my weekend visit).

Saltaire Arts Trail - Smallest Cinema?

This black painted wooden structure could be the smallest purpose built cinema in the world. I had seen this tiny shed like structure before but didn't know anything about it so went to investigate. By chance, Gideon Seymour, director of the Bradford based arts development organisation Fabric had arrived at the same time as myself and was able to give me some information. The cinema seats up to ten people and can show Super 8 cine films or more conventional video films. The initial idea was to use an old garden shed, but the cost of strengthening and modifying an old structure was around the same as building new, so the new option was chosen. The cinema is believed to be the smallest in the world, but this hasn't been verified yet.

Salts Mill - Oil Paints

I really enjoy taking photographs, I sometimes wonder what I would do if I had to choose a different hobby, I think painting would be top of the list. Just look at the fantastic sounding names on these oil paints, Indian Red, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber and Crimson Alizarin, the names are almost enough to make one take up the hobby. The paints, and almost anything connected with painting or sketching can be obtained from a business located on the ground floor of Salts Mill.

Saltaire Arts Trail - I Love School

I visited the Saltaire Arts Trail today. Some of the residents in the village of Saltaire open up their homes to the public and display a diverse range of artwork, it could be paintings, ceramics, photographs, or even textiles. There were also activities for children including 'Make A Mosaic' in which the young artists were invited to paint a design on the surface of a brick. The bricks will later be made into a mosaic and put on permanent display at a local school, which I think is a brilliant idea. As you can see, each individual brick is a work of art, and I can also see that somebody 'loves school'.

Illumination of Undercliffe Cemetery

I went along to Undercliffe Cemetery last night to see a lighting installation by drama student Emily Kecic. The evening started with a short talk on the history of the cemetery followed by an outdoor performance of the Mozart Requiem by the Bradford Festival Choral Society. Areas of the cemetery were floodlit with various coloured spotlights, people were encouraged to explore and take photographs, and judging by the large number of people that attended the event I would say that it was a great success.

Sister Act

I wondered how they got those signs right up there, now I know. The signs are for the musical comedy Sister Act which will be on at the Alhambra Theatre later this year.

Swans - Leeds/Liverpool Canal

     A pair of swans and their three cygnets were on the canal at Thackley the other day.  I was on my bike and only had my small compact camera with me, but I managed a few quick shots before the parents decided I might be a threat and began hissing at me, I made a hasty retreat.

Ferret in Settle

     I spotted this gentleman out shopping in the market town of Settle a few weeks ago.  You can't see it in the picture, but the ferret is actually wearing a harness and a lead.  I can assure any overseas readers that it is perfectly normal practice to go shopping with a pet ferret here in Yorkshire.  The owner did ask if I wanted to stroke his pet, but I declined as I can still remember what happened to poor Richard Whitely some years ago on live TV.  http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=10621

Bradford Nightstop

     This is Lesley who was on the Bradford Nightstop stand at the Pride event on Saturday.  I hadn't heard of Bradford Nightstop before, but Lesley told me a little bit about the organisation.  The charity  provides emergency one night accommodation  to young homeless people who would otherwise be spending the night sleeping rough out on the streets of Bradford. The homeless young person is provided with a meal and a bed for the night, and if they want to talk about their problems, a listening ear.  The aim is, I think, to just give the young person a breathing space, and a chance to point them in the right direction regarding accommodation and longer term help.  Bradford Nightstop has a website at  http://www.bradfordnightstop.org.uk/

Bishop of Bradford - Enthronement

     I knew we were having a new bishop in Bradford, and I knew the ceremony was yesterday, but I didn't know that it was such a big occasion.  I was taking a few pictures at the Pride event when I saw this procession heading for the Cathedral.  I had to run a bit to get in front and grab a few photos.
     Nick Baines, the new bishop is quite familiar with Bradford as he spent his student days at Bradford University.  He is also apparently quite famous for using modern forms of communication such as Twitter, he also has a blog (he is sometimes referred to as the 'blogging bishop' and has appeared on the Chris Evans Radio 2 breakfast programme.  So quite an interesting character really.
     It's funny how writing this blog sometimes brings back memories.  My wife and I were married in 1983 at Holy Trinity Church in Idle.  A few weeks before the wedding we made a visit to the church to see the vicar, the vicar asked if we minded if someone sat in with us, we said we didn't mind.  Before we left, the visitor came and had a chat with me for about five or ten minutes, he talked about life in general, marriage, not a religious conversation really, then as we left he said "look after her, she's someone special".  A week or two later I opened the local newspaper and saw a picture of the visitor, it was the bishop of Bradford, Geoffrey Paul who had been suffering from a terminal illness and had sadly died.  In case you are wondering, yes, I am still married, and to the same person.

Bradford Pride 2011 - Bradford Urban Garden

     The Bradford Pride event was held today in the city centre Urban Garden.  The event was a celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.  There was quite a good atmosphere with live entertainment on a central stage, market stalls, face painting, wall climbing, food and a temporary bar.

Market Cross - Bradford

       This market cross now stands in one of the entrances to Kirkgate Market. The cross once stood in the old market place at the bottom of Westgate, it was later moved to another location in the town centre before being moved out of the town to Peel Park and then back to its present location in 1973.  The top of the cross is said to have been broken off during the Civil War by overzealous puritans in their desire to obliterate all traces pf the faith they condemned.

Brompton Bikes

     These keen cyclists were in Ripon Market Square earlier today.  The couple, from Yeadon (about five miles North of Bradford) enjoy riding along the country lanes around Ripon and Fountains Abbey but no longer wish to cycle very high mileages.  The bicycles are made by Brompton and fold up into a package small enough to be taken onto a bus or train or fitted into a car boot.  I have an older version of one of these bikes myself and find them quite enjoyable to ride but not really a substitute for a full sized machine.

Friendship Seat - Bradford City Centre

      This ornate street light and seating in New Market Place has been named the 'Friendship Seat' by the Lord Mayor.  Facing the camera is the brightly coloured coat of arms of the city of Monchengladbach, the other plaques are those of Roubaix, Verviers and Skopje, all cities twinned with Bradford.   

Bradford Cathedral - Wool Sacks

     On this brass plaque in Bradford Cathedral you can see wool sacks hanging from the side of the bell tower.  The sacks were strung up on the outside of the tower to protect it from  Royalist Artillery during the English Civil War.  The Cathedral (or Parish Church as it was then) stood on raised ground which made the area easier to defend against  attacking forces.

Twin Town 40th Anniversary Visit

     Visitors from the German City of Monchengladbach are visiting Bradford for the 40th anniversary of the two cities being made twin towns.  The visitors, accompanied by members of the Bradford Twin Town Association attended the unveiling of a new monument this morning by the Lord Mayor Cllr. Peter Hill.
     The picture was taken inside City Hall as I had arrived late and missed the outdoor ceremony, so I would like to take this opportunity to thank the visitors and everyone involved for allowing me to take this photograph.

Sgt. Oddball - Haworth 1940's Weekend

     I had walked past this chap a couple of times, he looked vaguely familiar, and then it came to me, the film Kelly's Heroes.  I went back and had a quick chat, and yes he was playing the part of Sgt. Oddball (played by Donald Sutherland in the film) and would I like to take any pictures, the answer was of course, yes.

Haworth 1940's Weekend

     The village of Haworth has been transformed into wartime Britain this weekend.  The cobbled streets are full of British, American and German(!) soldiers, military vehicles and 1940's entertainers.  A photographer is really spoilt for choice at an event like this.  I kind of liked these little buns with the flags, they were a pound each with the proceeds going to the charity 'Help For Heroes'.

Bradford Fire Disaster Memorial - Closer Look

     In this closer view of the memorial you can see the names, cast into the bronze, of the people who lost their lives in the Bradford Fire Disaster.  Many of the relatives of the victims of the fire approached the monument and touched the name of their loved one on the day of the service.

Bradford Fire Disaster Memorial Day - Joachim Reisner

       It doesn't seem like twenty six years since the Bradford fire disaster in which fifty six people died and over three hundred were injured, but it is.  The tragedy occurred when the old wooden stadium at Bradford City football ground caught fire and spectators were unable to escape the rapidly spreading flames.
     Today was the annual memorial service, held in Centenary Square Bradford.  I went to the service with the intention of taking some photographs for this column, but to be honest I took very few pictures, it just didn't seem right to be taking pictures, sort of intrusive, so I left and went back later for a few shots of the memorial and flowers.
     When I returned there were just three people there, two ladies and the gentleman in the picture, Joachim Reisner, the sculptor who made the memorial.  Mr Reisner is apparently quite a shy person and does not really enjoy having his picture taken so I was pleased when he agreed to pose for this shot.
     Mr. Reisner told me a little about the background of the memorial.  His wife, who is actually English (from Wilsden, near Bradford) was on a Civic visit to Bradford from the German Town of Hamm.  Mr Reisner did not realise that when he switched on his television set  and saw the fire in a news broadcast that his wife was actually in the stadium as part of a Civic visit. His wife took back to Germany the idea of the memorial which is really a gift from the people of Hamm to Bradford.

West Window - Bradford Cathedral

     Bradford Cathedral doesn't seem to get many visitors, it's not a huge Cathedral, and it's not particularly old, I think the oldest part is C15th, but it is still an interesting building nonetheless.  This is the West window which depicts women from the Bible (comments welcome on the zoom effect).

Rock and Roll

     As I was in the Manningham area after yesterdays parade, I decided to have a quick walk around the park and came across a band playing in the bandstand.  Apparently it should have been a four piece band, but the drummer hadn't turned up. Well, I suppose that's rock and roll.

Manningham Parade

     A parade was held today through the streets of Manningham to celebrate the birth of the prophet Muhammad.  Participants from as far away as Bristol travelled to Bradford to take part in the parade which started outside of the Jamia Naqshbandia Islamic Centre in Tile Street, Manningham.  I was invited into the mosque after the event, the first time I have ever been inside a mosque, and was also kindly given a meal (the first time I have ever eaten anything that wasn't a Yorkshire Pudding or a Pork Chop, honestly!)  So a day of firsts, really.

The Lives Of Great Photographers

     This exhibition is currently running at the National Media Museum and consists of a collection of some of the most memorable images in the history of photography. Twenty two photographers are featured, from FoxTalbot and Daguerre at the beginning of photography almost up to the present day with the landscapes of Fay Godwin.  Well worth a visit if you are in the area.

A Talk In The Park

     When I visited Lister Park the other day I noticed these three gentlemen sat chatting on a bench.  I went for a walk around the park and noticed that they were still there, probably an hour later.  I asked them if they met regularly in the park, they said they did, they were friends who just liked to sit and chat, which seems like a commendable enough pastime to me.

Jamie Wardley - Charles Darwin Sculpture

   Following on from Tuesdays post, this is Jamie Wardley working on the Charles Darwin sand sculpture in Centenary Square in August 2009.  The sculpture, made from one hundred and twenty tons of sand stood around fifteen feet tall and was created to mark the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwins birth.

Bluebell Woods - Ilkley

     A family friend with local knowledge of the Ilkley area told me about these woods. He told me that "they are a bit off the beaten track but well worth a visit at this time of year".  I think he was right.

Jamie Wardley At The Bradford Urban Garden

     At first glance this looks like Jamie Wardley could be getting a ticket for drawing on the pavement, but that's not what is actually going on here.  Jamie is being directed by his assistant in marking out the drawing. The large tripod (not a tripod as it has four legs) is being used to somehow correct the perspective during marking out, so that when viewed from the position of the tripod the drawing does not recede into the distance.  The passing PCSO is taking a quick snap on his mobile phone to see if the theory actually works in practice. 
     Jamie is actually a sand and ice sculptor and made a huge sand sculpture of Charles Darwin in front of Bradford Town Hall a couple of years ago, I will try and post a picture of it in a day or two (I need to find the transparency and scan it). 
    

Ilkley Carnival Parade

     I had actually spent the morning in woods near to Ilkley photographing bluebells and decided to stop off for the carnival parade on the way back.  The parade was larger than I expected and as this years theme was children's literature there were plenty of things to photograph.  The children, especially the younger ones, really seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Bradford Urban Garden - Mayday Celebrations

     I stopped by at the Bradford Urban Garden earlier today as there was an event taking place to celebrate Mayday.  I didn't stop long but it looked great fun with street entertainers, a maypole and two stages with various bands and musicians performing.  I have photographed these entertainers before, they are pretty good and sometimes do a routine which involves a member of the audience, juggling and fire.  Thankfully they have not, as yet, chosen me to take part!