kaleidoscope of Colour, Shape, and Form

Kaleidoscope – Photo καλός εἶδος σκοπέω

A kaleidoscope is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces derived from the Ancient Greek καλός, “beautiful, beauty”, εἶδος, “that which is seen: form, shape” and σκοπέω, “to look to, to examine”, hence “observation of beautiful forms.”

For many years, I have eluded to the fact I am a fashion, people, and lifestyle photographer. I keep any personal observations and diversions hidden far away on distant G-Tech drives. Of no use to man nor beast! Along comes 2020 and COVID and suddenly we all raid our hard drives look for social media content to post, embarrassingly I have also, and here is one such photo rant.

Plastic toys and playthings for kids often throwaways, sometimes have other uses and double up for adults playthings also! A tube with a plastic lens complete of small prisms, how stupid and why? distorted light and shape is a requirement of most photography, I liked the juxtaposition of tiny images. This little toy offered me access to creative moment and the opportunity to add it to my lens collection!

A kaleidoscope of colour, Maybe but for sure a crescendo of shapes and intrigue. I had nothing better to do either. Actually, i had been researching boldness of colour, shape, and form for some mood boards. A picture called Zikkurat was similar to the tiny prism images at the end of the tube.

Kaleidoscope was a touring exhibition by The Arts Council which celebrated British Art of the 1960s which was noted for its bold use of colour and shapes and a strong sense of order. Artist Joe Tilson with his piece Zikkurat, 1967  is what gave me my idea to play around a little with the child’s toy. It also fits into my own creative background in the arts, a year foundation course, an honours degree in photography and graphics with a semester at RIT in New York studying the classic Cyanotype and Bichromate photo printing techniques. Far from today’s fashion and advertising concepts.

The application so far for commercial or fashion processes as yet have eluded me, the captures are obvious but offer intrigue. A simple study of my son Louis Harrison peering down the other end of the tube is all it takes to create interest.

As part of my home study or personal work and considering I have been a little poorly this week, a more simple journal entry but no less a chance to pique an interest in a creative process which photography can be. I became a photographer to experience a process of capture and understand my own world.

After University, thrown into a commercial world finding the chance to be creative is challenging. Personal work and experimentation have been a covert activity for me. In these strange times of lockdown, with no production or shoots on the horizon for the foreseeable future. I have been given a chance to reflect on my time as a creative storyteller and discover what made me tick at one time and relight that touch paper.

What will or could 2020 look like for me? moving forward I hear myself ask? Well sitting in the Sun in the best Spring weather for some time. Photographs that cry out for meaning are a desperate measure and a cry for help. So why not just go out there and be yourself, shoot what you see all of the time! Be less contrite, just go shoot and be in the moment and more than anything else be happy in what you do.