The Unquiet Thames

My dislike of 360 degree panoramas printed flat was confirmed by this exhibition (The Unquiet Thames - you can see more pictures in the “press pack” PDF although the prints are printed over two metres wide). I had to explain how they were made to a couple of parents who were telling their small son that they were “fisheye” pictures. I started with the fact that the verticals would be curved as well if they’d been fisheye pictures and wished I hadn’t started. My problem is that I find 360s are just too hard for me to read when presented flat. Maybe it’s just that I’m more used to the cylindrical presentation which is difficult in a gallery context. I prefer it when they are more tableaux-like with people in them, like most of John Brownlow’s here. I’ve unwrapped and printed this 360 of mine but again it has people to hold it together. Without people they seem to descend into not unattractive graphics. The symmetry in the bridges is interesting but the upstream and downstream of the river both going into the picture seems too wrong. JB has an under a bridge shot in the set above but to me it’s the sofa and in the London set, the collected crap, that draws the eye - the part that has the easily read perspective - with the architecture becoming a spectacular framing device. So, worth a look if you’re in the area but I will be sticking to partial panoramas. It was also my first visit to the Museum of Docklands (it’s been open nearly three years). It had lots of non-functioning technology (like the audio that should have accompanied the panoramas) but since there was much more to look at than I’d expected that didn’t seem to matter.

Cover Panorama

This picture has made it onto the cover of the new LIP magazine. The printing looks a little light for my taste but I like the way the designer made it wrap onto the back cover with the spline on the edge of the shop window, although I can imagine some people not realising that the picture continues.