Saturday, December 17, 2011

A Patchwork of Walls in China

As promised, the lovely old/new walls - remnants of centuries past with mud and straw walls, mud bricks, low fired terra cotta clay bricks, sand stone blocks, granite blocks, modern bricks, concrete bricks, all smeared with a generous layer of rendering which all too soon falls away revealing the history of the building and its additions. How can you not love these?







...one of my favourite photos of all time - true WABI SABI ...ahhhh...big sigh,
...and even a fire hydrant in Suzhou with some concrete patching.
Next time, a patchwork of ceramics in Jingdezhen.

9 comments:

  1. How wonderful! The hole in the wall with the tea cup inside is priceless.

    And the laundry! Was there laundry hanging everywhere? When we were in Nanchang adopting our daughters, laundry was hung wherever it could be. Made for some interesting shots.

    Can't wait to see your patchwork of ceramics next. Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Worth the wait... wonderful walls. That teacup is a gem.

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  3. Noela - you have taken us on a journey of wonder - wonder why the changes in the walls - what is the story of the towel and what hung on the hangers - I'm probably stating the obvious but for me this is the marvel of your photography!! Beautiful, yet gaunt and challenging!!

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  4. c'est une interprétation du 'savoir voir'..magnifique!

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  5. Thanks Leslie; yes, Jennifer - I love the pics of the laundry - they are not embarrassed about 'airing dirty linen' like we are in the West; hi Jo and Wyn, I love encouraging the viewer to take a little personal journey of discovery and recognition; thanks Elfi - it's like there is another energy enticing me to take the pictures xoxoxo

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  6. N-love the history and texture of the first photo; and such a practical use for a niche - a drinking cup? B

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  7. I always like how artists capture their travels - we see it so differently don't we? Lovely worn backgrounds - lots of inspiration!

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  8. I've been coming back for days to see these pictures again. I love how the need to repair the wall does not just stop with a repair...they re done creatively. You photos make me see my world differently.

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