Sally Wakelin – Studies in Creativity
Paintings, drawings, sculpture and writing
Again inspired by Ansel Adams photography, I looked back through my large collection of shadow photographs from the Tate Modern. I have made images of people’s shadows whilst they are walking up and down the stairs. I think these two in particular are interesting, just body parts, no colour, no identity, no gender, no nationality, not even any age, just soft fleeting recordings of movement.
Last night there was a concert of Scarlatti, Lotti, Melgas, Rebelo and Caldara during the Greenwich Early Music Festival, performed by The Sixteen and conducted by Harry Christophers.
Seated in the upper gallery, the acoustics were perfect, the singing in Latin became another medium, not air or water but sound, surrounding and enveloping us completely.
The spiral staircase leading back down to reality was a delightful example of period stone and metal craftsmanship.
A cut through between streets near Rodeo Drive, interesting street-scape of varying levels, railings, steps a water feature and planting, made particularly memorable by the pungent scent of dope.
The Olympic Equestrian events were held in Greenwich Park, as will be the Paralympic Equestrian events in early September. A complex bridge structure has been built to allow pedestrians to safely cross the busy A2 road as they arrive at Blackheath station and make their way across the heath to the park.
The sheer number of elements makes for such interesting graphic images. As yet I am not allowed to climb the structure but hope to access the top platform next week.
Grey as a colour theme is challenging but I found a couple of opportunities during a flying visit to Aberporth, a small village in Cardigan bay in West Wales. Whilst we ate fish and chips sitting at the aluminium tables outside the “Caffi”, the sun played hide and seek but then went elsewhere, so the light was helping to show up greyness. The soft colours and lack of contrast drew my eye to these delicate stems, no doubt soon to be bedraggled by wind and rain, the fine incised lines in the smooth concrete wall behind providing an opposing yet supporting structure.
Inside I caught a figure fleetingly through the metallic grey of the mesh panel in an open door, the grey seems almost to draw a line around his profile and the white beard merges into his sweater which makes the image other-wordly.
Light falling through gaps in the floorboards after the plasterboard lining had been removed. I was intrigued by the way the light continues down from the joist over the wall, where it splays out and also over the door where it becomes more focussed. I wish I had moved slightly to the right but someone was standing there and then the moment was gone.
Sally Wakelin - Studies in Creativity 
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