Författare: Leya

Lens-Artists Challenge #171 – Weird and Wonderful

/ Leya / 227 kommentarer

I think that something needs to be weird in order to have real beauty. – Carine Roitfeld

This week we all have the opportunity to share our weird and wonderful images in the challenge! I am sure you have some in your archives that would fit the bill – or why not go chasing new ones?

I will start out with one of my favourite artists, Salvador Dalí. I was fortunate enough to visit his home in Figueres some ten years ago. And, I was not disappointed. More of strange architecture – this autumn when visiting Denmark, we came across a gigantic cone in the forest. I am quite sure it hadn’t fallen from one of those trees…because you could go inside it to admire the construction.

This summer I finally got to visit the ARoS museum in Aarhus, Denmark. The building itself is a piece of amazing architecture and inside you will find some amazing art.

The Australian artist Ron Mueck’s sculpture Boy has become one of the landmarks of the Aarhus Art Museum. Measuring 4.5 metres in height and weighing in at 500 kg makes it impressive, but also rather weird – and wonderful. He looks so real. Displayed all over the museum entrance hall are the gigantic crochet sculptures by Portuguese Joana Vasconcelos: Valkyrie Rán.

So far, artists, architechture and art – but then there are also more natural, but still somewhat weird, phenomena –

– like The Sand-Covered Church, also translated as The Buried Church, the names given to a late 14th-century church dedicated to Saint Lawrence of Rome. It was a brick church of considerable size, located 2 kilometres from Skagen, Denmark. According to Wikipedia, the last half of the 18th century the church was partially buried by sand from nearby dunes, and the congregation had to dig out the entrance each time a service was to be held. The struggle to keep the church free of sand lasted until 1795, when it was abandoned.The church was demolished, but the tower was left as the only part of the original structure still standing.

Finally – of course it is possible to make things and places even more weird and wonderful than they are in reality…here I have played around with the Nik collection and photoshop. The installation of mirrors is real.

Special thanks to Patti for her Street Art – a much loved theme for both participants and readers! It’s been a joy to see how much good street art you have beautifully captured! Now we are looking forward to seeing your weird and wonderful images too. Please link to my original post, and be sure to use the Lens-Artists tag. Stay cool and careful navigating out there.

Thursday Thoughts – Along the road and around the bend…

/ Leya / 29 kommentarer

One single day of sunshine…

…and I knew I had to follow the colours…

…along the road.

Lens-Artists Challenge #170 – Street Art

/ Leya / 55 kommentarer

This week, Patti wants us to find street art from near and far. So, here we go!

These two Swiss houses are both beautifully decorated – but is it street art? In some countries it was an old custom to decorate houses like this, and in this little village they were very proud of their paintings. As you can see, the Adam and Eve decoration is much older than the first one. The motif might also fit in with this artform as being thought provoking.

A parkinglot in Malmoe – cars everywhere of course, but interesting art.

I found several houses decorated in the same style. Sometimes a bit too blurry I think…, but a smart part in monochrome on this one made the whole difference for me.

Lodz, walking in a very worn down area that had been beautifully decorated. I found this piece in an abandoned alley, and thought it very attractive, so I chose sepia to ”lift” the painting from its dreary surroundings and to enhance the overall impression.

A timely pick – Alfred Nobel. Then yellow street art and a blue van – the Swedish colours.

Finally, there is of course Street Art – and Art in the Street…

Covent Garden, London.

This week, we invite you to join us for LAPC #170: Street Art. Show us your captures of street art in places near and far. Be sure to include a link to Pattis original post and use the “Lens-Artists” tag so we can easily find your post in the Reader.

A special thanks to I.J. Khanewala of Don’t Hold Your Breath for hosting “The Ordinary” challenge last week. Many people commented that the photos shared were examples of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. And that is a lovely take on the theme!

Next week, it’s my turn, Ann-Christine’s turn to lead LAPC #171, hope to see you then too, next Saturday at noon. In the meantime, have a joyful, safe, and inspiring week.

Thursday Thoughts – Sallow, a Keystone Species

/ Leya / 18 kommentarer

The old sallow (salix) standing in our summer garden is slowly ageing – and decaying. They seldom reach 100 years, but this one is even older. These trees are very important for the biodiversity, as almost 200 species of butterflies are dependent on it for feeding their larvae. And, so are many other insects too, like bees and bumblebees – in spring they can find food there during the first harsh months of the new year. Salix trees are also home for birds, mushrooms, lichen and mosses.

When we arrived in Spring 2019, our old man was still in one piece, standing in a pink field of sea thrift – but in autumn the same year, the middle part of him had fallen down.

This year we had to take down another of the oldest and longest arms from the trunk as it would not have made it through the winter.

But, as you can see, he is still standing there…overlooking the sea. And there is a new little one shooting up from the trunk of his old master. We hope he too will be a survivor when the old man is gone.