The WIP #28: Extreme
The Week in Photos (6-12 July 2024)
The Fair has come to town. I am fascinated by how they represent excitement through graphic design, while the people have to be professional.
A glitch photo at the Fair.
On Saturday I visited the world’s oldest working Camera Obscura in Dumfries. A lens at the top of an old windmill is reflected by a mirror on to a screen which can be raised or lowered for depth of field. The images of the town were remarkably clear.
We were shown the churchyard where Robert Burns is buried and were impressed by the luminous blue mausoleum.
We had hired a car for the weekend and took up the opportunity to visit Crawick Multiverse, which is otherwise inaccessible. This became the subject of my newsletter this week.
We had been staying the night before in Castle Douglas, a beautiful little town with only independent shops on the high street. Is this resistance to globalisation or just privilege? This is what the top shelf magazines looked like.
Despite being crushed by hayfever, I made it back in time to cycle to Broadside where I did a writing workshop with Bella Marrin, the editor of Fieldnotes, a swish art writing publication. I realised that writing is the ultimate self-therapy. Nothing else gives you the ability to interrogate and arrange experience. We created a memory palace, mine was a map of my childhood garden. Highly recommended.
England continue their miraculous progress through the Euros. Here were the scenes of joy after Ollie Watkins’ last minute winner.
On Friday, I attended the launch of The Darkest Timeline by Bram E Gieben (aka
) at Mount Florida Books. The event was well-attended and full of interesting characters. Everyone seemed to be thrilled by the dark subject matter. It’s stuff we all know—environmental collapse, present dystopias, alienation—but presented with a rare clarity. Check out the book if you’re a fan of writers like Mark Fisher and John Gray.
Despite all that, we still enjoyed the sunset in Crosshill as we walked home.
Terrific to see you man 😀