One, Two, Three... Quadriga!

A quadriga is a chariot pulled by four horses abreast. It was a word that I had never heard before my recent trip to Berlin. One of the most famous quadriga sculptures sits on top of the Brandenburg Gate and the person who showed us around Berlin actually referred to referred to it as a quadriga. The week after I was in Berlin I had to go to Lyon with work and guess what I saw there? I doubt anyone will need to be told but the photo on the left is from Berlin and the one on the right from Lyon.

The quadriga atop the Brandenburg Gate is quite traditional and based upon the only surviving ancient quadriga. As you can see from the photo the sculpture in Lyon is very different; a piece of art rather than a model of real life. Apparently it was sculpted by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi after he became famous for creating the Statue of Liberty and represents France as a female figure attempting to control the four major French rivers. It may not be classical but I definitely prefer the one in Lyon over the one in Berlin.

Banking Reform

Next to the U-Bahn station at Spichernstraße in Berlin there is a large investment bank. Outside the bank there is a sculpture. Given the way that banks have behaved in recent years I'm thinking that the statue is more than a little insulting to the average man on the street that used to trust the bank with their money.

Of course I could be wrong and the man being kicked off the ladder could be the banker but somehow I think it much more likely that the banker is doing the kicking.

I think that it's actually a really good sculpture I just think it should have been positioned somewhere else. If it truly reflects the mindset of the banking community then we definitely need to push for worldwide banking reform!

Flowering Statues

Whilst I was off work moving house Sheffield City Council were making the city centre look nice with their annual flower displays. The displays are usually the same every year but I happen to quite like these two statues which they place outside the town hall.

I'm guessing that they are supposed to depict the industrial heritage of Sheffield -- steel making and it's use in cutlery.

The Angel of the North

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while may remember that we got a very quick glimpse of the Angel of the North when driving north along the A1 on our honeymoon last year. Well, just over a year later and I've finally gotten to have a proper look at Britain's largest sculpture.

Bryony had an exam in Gateshead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is just over two miles from the Angel of the North. I went to Gateshead with her to lend moral support but for the three hours she was in the exam I was free to walk around, so I walked the two and a bit miles to see the Angel of the North.

Part way down the hill from the hospital I turned a corner in a housing estate and suddenly the view opened up and there was the sculpture. I quickly lost sight of it again though as I dropped down the hill and in amongst the houses you can see.

It's actually quite difficult to get good photos because of its size. It's large and because of roads and trees it is hard to get far enough away from it. I also struggled with the light, as it was quite a bright day so the auto setting on the camera left me with a very dark sculpture where you couldn't see any real details. In the end I had to resort to manual settings which worked OK, but the last two pictures are actually three exposures stacked on top of each other so that I could get detail in the sky and on the sculpture. Quite a lot of work just to take a couple of photos!

The Dragon, the Monkey and the Worm

I was later than usual leaving work yesterday which meant I arrived at the train station about 45 minutes before my train was due. Rather than waiting in Sheffield station I took a train heading for Leeds and then got off at Barnsley where I could wait for the Penistone train. Why would I bother changing trains instead of just waiting in Sheffield? I thought I'd take the opportunity to photograph some of the weird and wonderful artwork that adorns Barnsley station.

I didn't get to photograph all the artwork before my train arrived but I did get photos of the dragon, the monkey and the worm. Lets start with the dragon.

When viewed at 90 degrees to the track it is definitely a dragon, move slightly either way though and it's a bunch of people waiting for the train.

The rest of the artwork is hidden away in the canopy over the platforms. I know there is a mouse, an elephant and bird but I only got photos of the monkey and the worm.

They may not be to everyone's taste but I quite like them.

Camel Shelter

Not an actual camel shelter but the view directly upwards from my hotel room balcony. The view reminded me of the Deer Shelter at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, although the sunlight through the hole is a lot brighter and definitely a lot hotter! The main thing common to both is that they are both quite tranquil and removed from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

The Angel of the North

On the way to Scotland for our honeymoon I got the best view I've ever had of The Angel of the North. Unfortunately, the view was while travelling fast on the A1 north towards Scotland.

The combination of fast driving and a camera that doesn't focus overly quickly means that the pictures are not as good as the actual view.

Deer Shelter

I've not had much time recently to blog what with moving house and lots of stuff to do at work. I'm going to probably keep the blog going with a few photos that I haven't got around to talking about before while my life gets back to normal and I have the time to write proper blog entries again.

Now I'm not usually overly impressed with modern art of any form. I may, however, have to change my opinions following a very enjoyable trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park back in June. Some of the more impressive displays were inside and I couldn't take photos. Outside, however, I was struck with the simple elegance and tranquillity of James Turrell's Deer Shelter.