Clerkenwell Design Week 2014

Since my meeting up with fellow photographer Geoff Dann was going to be late morning, I decided to visit my erstwhile working partners at the Colour Company before visiting various showrooms taking part in the Clerkenwell Design Week. Since it is some time since John and Annie Swift and I had met, we spent much longer catching up than I had planned, resulting in less time spent visiting the various venues, but I had no regrets. It also meant I would try to catch a few moments with another former colleague Steve Warner on the far side of Clerkenwell.

It was good to see the area buzzing with activity as numerous visitors thronged the streets of an area I have always considered to be the working centre of London. I have considerable affection for the area having spent a goodly proportion of my working life treading the local pavements, and it is good to see just how much the area is welcoming change. It used to be home to numerous photographers, graphic designers, printers and small advertising agencies, most of those I knew well have left, but their spirit lives on.

I visited and was made welcome in all the showrooms I, and later Geoff, visited. We broke for a snack lunch alfresco in Clerkenwell Green and discussing what we had seen and reminiscing. After our repast, we headed for Sans Walk so I could introduce Geoff to Steve Warner. On arrival we met Mark who shares this bijou workspace, and despite my having no recollection of meeting Mark, his memory was far greater than mine and was able to recall that we had met and he was able convincingly to prove it: he knew of my interest in motor racing and my knowledge of Photoshop, so advancing years are having a greater effect on me than I had thought! Both Steve and Mark showed us some of their recent impressive work, resulting in even less time being spent on touring locations connected to CDW 2014, but we assured them both we were headed for the dungeons of the House of Correction with its underground catacombs of cells, now given over to artists, craftsmen and women and their exhibits.

Whereas above ground in the various showrooms and outside I was shooting at ISO levels from 200-400, down here I was handholding shots as low as 1/6th of a second at 256000 ISO! Both Geoff and I recollect the days of film, when such shots could only be undertaken using a tripod and heavy lighting gear with its attendant loss of atmosphere and spontaneity, and a lengthy delay before seeing the results of our labours!

We had also earlier paid a return visit to Zaha Hadid’s gallery and one particular installation still held and enduring fascination as it yielded new viewpoints, and it was interesting to note they had brought down some of their historic models and concepts and placed them on open display where last year they had been in a secure area only available to the fortunate few.

Altogether the day was once again a success and was full of interesting encounters.

I hope the gallery of images gives as much pleasure to those viewing as it gave me capturing them.