Miyako Ishiuchi

1906 17
Credit: Miyako Ishiuchi

Photographs by Japanse photographer Miyako Ishiuchi are currently on display at Michael Hoppen Gallery in London, until 16 April. From their website:

'In ‘1906 to the skin’, Ishiuchi creates portrait of Butoh dancer Kazuo Ohno, who was born in 1906. For this unusual exploration of a man, Ishiuchi turns her attention to human skin –studying Ohno’s scars and the effects of aging on his body, the patina of which convey a person’s history. No shot captures his face or personality; instead the series is an intimate study of the strength and vulnerability of a man through close up images of his skin. The results are celebratory and full of warmth. Ishiuchi says: “His skin is unusually beautiful. It is smoother than silk, warmer than wool, suppler than cotton, stronger than canvas.”'

The Queen's new portrait

This is a 1789 portrait of Queen Charlotte by Thomas Lawrence.
Photographer Annie Leibovitz updates this painting in her portrait of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, which was unveiled last week. This Guardian columnist loves it, and I like it too. I find it humane and touching. The light is so amazing (what you can do with filters ad photoshop these days!) Do you like it?

Pulitzer prize for Photography

Oded Balilty won a Pulitzer Prize yesterday for his photograph of a lone settler woman defying Israeli security forces.

The Bath Fairy

Bath, UK, Dec 06

Sunset-spotting

Sorry for the lack of cloudspotting pictures these past two weeks but I have no internet at home so cant upload my own pics :-(

But my parents were on holidays in Morocco last week and have forwarded me this nice sunset pic.

For all those who miss the ocean and the open spaces!!

Pieter Hugo

This picture by Pieter Hugo won the World Press prize for best photojournalism picture. The colors are amazing, it really goes with the surrealism of seeing a hyena on lead.

More winners can be seen on the Liberation website.

Entrance of a bordel

Michael took this picture of the entrance of a strip club, peep show place, on Great Windmill Street. London, 03/10/06

Cats on Drury Lane

Drury Lane, London, September 06
Special pic for Vanini!

Sunday in the park

Hester and all, Richmond, Sunday 10/09

Paris Commuter

RER C to Versailles, Paris, 06/09/06

Paris 3

I shall end here with my trip in France.
As Michael said "Paris doesnt disappoint"

Versailles certainly didnt. At 25, it was time for me to visit it after hearing so much about it as a kid in our history lessons!
A huge and almost perfect place. So much details was put in everything! Just amazing. (Sorry it is late and it would take too long to describe everything!)

Paris 2

We have been pretty unlucky with Parisian Nightlife. On Saturday, we queued for a while but did not manage to get into the "River's King" boat, for the Supa Fresh night. Had we arrived 5 minutes before, we would have probably gone in. Obviously, a night with open bar until midnight, on a boat, taking you on a cruise on the Seine, and 2 dancefloors, was always gonna be popular. Yesterday, we looked for but never found the Mix Club, by the Tour Montparnasse. The guide said it was a huge venue, and held a popular gay night on Sundays. It turned out that we didnt look properly, and that this gay night was only once a month, so, had we found it, it wouldnt have been much fun in there!

Still, I managed to meet up with my friend Viviane. Hadnt see her for 3 years, but she said "It feels like I last so you yesterday!"

Paris - pics

Michael and I are in Paris, France (cher pays de mon enfance) until Tuesday, eating like pigs and meeting friends, chilling out and trying not to think how much more beautiful it is than London.





So far, we have ran into many people who seemed crazy (they talked rather agressively to random people) as well as a busker on the tube who had "un petit programme musical pour vous les voyageurs" and started shaking his body to african tunes. A woman went on for more than half an hour on "ces salauds de Bordelais". We had diner at 1 in the morning in a brasserie. We have also been to the Musee de l'Orangerie in the Jardin des Tuileries to admire Monet's Nympheas. It has a strangely relaxing and soothing effect on you, something intended by Monet. He was the first living artist to give a painting away to a nation. He travelled around, was a major Impressionist figure, went almost blind... I am quite keen on reading his biography now.

My twin Romain, his gf Nathalie, Michael and our cousin Julia, outside L'Orangerie

The Ragwort Whisperer

Wych Cross, Sussex, July 06