Fishing the Float #2

East Float Dock, Birkenhead. This is a revisited location - see my entry for 7th Nov, 2010 (http://darkhorseliverpool.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/fishing-float.html). The children keep themselves amused whilst the father is fishing. I noticed the girl swinging on the chain fence and thought it would make a good composition. I had to be quick before I was noticed.

Canning Nightscapes

This view across Liverpool's Canning Dock is looking towards the Albert Dock - a hugely popular tourist attraction. The Maritime Museum is on the right (Tate Liverpool is also housed in these wonderful old dock warehouses).  I was looking for a night shot of the nearby Museum of Liverpool from this location but felt that this would also make an effective 'nocturne'. I waited a few minutes for the wheel to stop (left of frame) and hoped that it would be static for the 20sec exposure. Long exposures at night often produce peaceful scenes - as is the case here. There is a sense of unreality - this could almost be a model.  (f18, ISO 400)

This is a view of the new Museum of Liverpool, also viewed from the Canning Dock. The waterfront museum was opened last year (2011).  It may not be everyone's idea of great architecture but it looks good at night! This was a 30 sec exposure at f14 (ISO 100)

STRIKE!

Wednesday 30th Nov, 2011 saw the biggest one day strike in the UK for a decade. Unions had called members out to support their demands that the government rethink plans to reform public sector pensions. It is claimed that 2 million people went on strike throughout the UK. Two thirds of schools in England were closed (almost all schools were closed in Scotland), 7000 operations were cancelled in hospitals, emergency services couldn't deal with all 999 calls, no buses or trains were running in Northern Ireland ...... the list goes on. David Cameron called the strike "a damp squib" in Parliament. I'm sure he doesn't really think that but if he does then he is SO out of touch. I photographed the strike rally in Liverpool where 15,000 people marched through the city - I was amazed by the turnout at St George's Hall, and the strength of anti-govt feeling. (See how the Prime Minister is portrayed in the Socialist Worker placard below - top photo, r/h side)

 

Finishing Touches

The new black glass constructions at Liverpool's Mann Island redevelopment were almost complete in March 2011. Love them or loathe them (if you have read previous entries to this blog you'll know my views) they can provide interesting photo opportunities with their angular construction, dramatic outlines and reflective properties. Here, I was poking around in the entrance when I saw these men working on the glass roof which connects two of the buildings. I had to be quick - sometimes the best photos come that way!

Bold Street Dancer

This beauty was demonstrating Chinese dancing at the Bold Street Festival. There was a large crowd gathered around and she moved and twirled so quickly that photography was difficult. This was one frame that turned out OK I thought.

Bold Street Festival - Pavement Art

Yesterday was the Bold Street Festival (Liverpool), part of which was the James Carling International Pavement Art Competition. I'm going to put some photos here in the coming days - here's a bright starter from Italy's Alberto Forlenza. I don't need to identify the subjects.
UPDATE : I've decided that the pavement art photos merit a separate blog which I've called Bold Street Art - this is where all future posts related to the Bold Street Festival will be - http://boldstreetart.blogspot.com

The Leaving of Liverpool

The Cunard Building being used as a giant screen

QM2 - a firework farewell

The Leaving of Liverpool

The last day highlight of Liverpool's Festival of the Waterfront (8-15 Sept) was the evening departure of the Queen Mary 2 - Cunard's magnificent star of their fleet. There were thousands lining the Mersey at the liner terminal - and the QM2, lit up against the night sky, looked spectacular. A firework display was Liverpool's farewell gift to the great vessel followed by the strains of The Leaving of Liverpool, Sailing, You'll Never Walk Alone and (ludicrously) Z-Cars. At the opening bars of this last tune the QM2 made her excuses with several blasts on the ship's horn (I think they call it a whistle - whatever it is called it makes a lovely, mournful sound) and began a gentle glide from her berth.

I watched as the great lady slowly sailed away and grabbed my last photos of the day. For the geeks my night shots were all hand held at stupidly high ISO and f5 - I had a tripod and all the necessary gear for remotely fired long exposures but there was no chance of setting it up in that crowd and the vantage point really needed to be much more elevated.

An unexpected bonus of the evening was the utilisation of the Cunard Building (the middle one of the 'Three Graces' - you know, the less 'showy' one) as a screen for Cunard images from past and present. I love it when images are projected onto buildings and grabbed lots of pics on the way down to the river. What a great evening - must find out when the next Queen will be dropping in.

The Four Streets

50/52 Cairns St. It seems unbelievable, but these houses are both 'tinned up'.
I love the care that locals have taken with hanging baskets and painted steel doors.

Street Market - Cairns St (bringing people back into the greenest of the Four Streets)

Beaconsfield Street - spot the cats peeping out of no.70s bricked up window

Three images from the condemned 'Four Streets' in Granby, Toxteth (Liverpool 8). The first two photos illustrate the horticultural beautifying of Cairns Street and the third shows the different approach in the neighbouring Beaconsfield Street, where the bricked up windows and steel security doors have been painted in an attempt to disguise the bleakness that would otherwise exist (as in the nearby Welsh Streets). Have a look at 'Nerve Magazine' for an article about Cairns Street (which contains more of my photos from the last Saturday market of this year on Sept 3rd). I hope the market continues next year -  if the street is still there!
http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/issues/misc/articles/empty_homes_show.php

"In defiance of interminable cycles of top down ‘renewal‘, people have painted curtains on bricked up bay windows, and planted emptied streets with trees, picnic tables and burgeoning vegetable boxes. On the first Saturday of every month they hold the thriving Cairns Street market, complete with reggae sounds, curry stalls and vintage bric-a-brac, a little piece of 1960s Portobello Road in inner Liverpool" 
the above quote was taken from a footnote by URBED's Jonathan Brown to an 'Architects Journal' article (29-Sept-11) - see following link for full article - http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/civic-society-hits-out-at-gleeson-homes-designed-toxteth-scheme/8617912.article

Super 8

This is the new Liverpool 8 Superstore in Lodge Lane. Breathing new life into this part of the city (occupying the site of a failed KwikSave) this is the place to come for a huge variety of fruit / veg / ethnic groceries & household goods.

The Florence Institute - a scaffoldscape

This is a privileged view from inside the Florrie (8th Sept,2011). It's a heritage open day and I managed to book a tour of this historic building. It's a building site - full of scaffolding. We had to wear steel toecapped boots, hard hats and vis vests as well as signing something that said we understood the dangers and would behave ourselves! This £4m project will provide a great visitor attraction and community resource to Toxteth / Dingle. The current plan is to open in March 2012 - I hope they make that date and I'll be an early visitor.

The Florrie



The Florrie under wraps

 'The Florrie' is The Florence Institute for Boys in the Dingle area of Liverpool. It's a magnificent building that fell into a sad state of decay. Now being restored (the reopening is scheduled for Feb 2012) it is currently completely under wraps. This view doesn't give a true idea of the size of the building, but I liked the 'community garden' notice, the man with the dog and the two names on the wall. It's all about narrative!

Disconnected

In both Edge Hill and Toxteth, where entire streets have been evacuated, essential services have to be disconnected. All houses that are awaiting demolition have 'E/Off' and 'Gas off' painted on the front.

A glance at the telegraph poles in the Welsh Streets shows that the lines of communication have all been cut.