REMNANTS explores the rise and fall of the Neolithic civilisation of Britain via motion controlled, digital timelapse cinematography.
This sounds right up my street, am a total sucker for all things Neolithic and onwards.
Here's a couple of Trailers for the movie.
I've hoofed it to, huddled under, touched and marveled at may of the sites included in the trailers.
Can't wait to see the full thing looks wonderful.
"In one of the longest continuous cultural developments ever known, for nearly 3000 years construction was undertaken of some of the most enduring monuments in the world – standing stones and stone circles. Having been dismissed for centuries by much of academia as the work of little more than illiterate barbarians, research in the 20th and 21st centuries by a handful of persistent investigators has revealed these Megalithic sites to be not only amongst the oldest and most mysterious, but perhaps the most profound.
Little is known of this civilisation, and its people have all but vanished without trace. All that is left are their remnants, and they too, in the crush of ‘progress’ are disappearing.
Photographed throughout the UK and Ireland, and set to an original music score by TANGERINE DREAM member Thorsten Quaeschning, REMNANTS captures the essence and austere beauty of these amazing constructions, suggests and reveals their purposes, and poses an important question to our own contemporary position.
History has proven repeatedly that no civilisation can last indefinitely. Humankind’s attempts to immortalise itself have been futile undertakings. Our current technologically based civilisation may shortly find itself at this same juncture.
Is it not unlikely that we shall share the same fate?
REMNANTS - OFFICIAL TRAILER - 01 from GRANT WAKEFIELD on Vimeo.
REMNANTS - OFFICIAL TRAILER - 02 from GRANT WAKEFIELD on Vimeo.
Friday 22 February 2013
Saturday 16 February 2013
Davros VS Bond
Genius little stop motion home made video I stumbled across on YouTube. Apparently took two years to make, some fantastic sound effects, esp the crappy motorbike noise when Davros is scooting about.
The bit when Davros texts Godzilla for help had me howling .
The bit when Davros texts Godzilla for help had me howling .
Monday 11 February 2013
This week I Have mostly...
Been exploring the Occult obsessed Spanish group PYLAR. Some goofy stuff up on their beautifully constructed blog page.
Invocación a Mercurio from PYLAR on Vimeo.
They also have a bandcamp page if you wish to check out their tunes.
Similar in appearance, if not sound to Finnish group K-X-P
Invocación a Mercurio from PYLAR on Vimeo.
They also have a bandcamp page if you wish to check out their tunes.
Similar in appearance, if not sound to Finnish group K-X-P
Saturday 2 February 2013
A Journey to Avebury
Got a new toy a while ago, an old Canon EOS 350 DSLR and thought I'd take a trip down to 'the realm of the ancestors' Avebury and environs to try it out. Also bought a cheap remote for it and have been itching to try it f or night exposures.
Not had a fully functioning DSLR before, just a 'bridge' type camera but am enjoying coming to grips with the Canon. Quite pleased with some of the results, even the slightly out of focus shots (the AF didn't work so well in low light or darkness) have a certain something, well I think so.
It's quite unsettling the amount of sarcens that resemble faces or animals. Now I know our brains are hard wired to see faces and make sense of confusing patterns, but the wear and erosion patterns of some stones is quite uncanny. I tried to re-create that 'Children Of The Stones' (available for purchase in on site 'Henge Shop') vibe for a few pic's..
I didn't have a lot of time to shoot though, as the decision to travel to the 'downs' was a spur of the moment one, so it was late afternoon when I arrived.
It really was tourist central today, and I often had to wait patiently to try and get the shot I wanted.
There was also a large 'new age' contingent in attendance. The (slightly annoying) sound of bad drumming could be heard all over the site from a couple of 'heads' ensconced outside The Red Lion pub.
Not quite sure why there were so many Druidy' types hanging around, may have been a pagan wedding I suppose. I'm not aware of any festivals around this time of year, though I'm no pagan, so may be wrong there. I tend to steer clear of the 'gatherings' that take over the site on certain dates. I've never worked out if the 'followers' actually believe what they practice, or is it just a struggle for an identity for those who don't feel like they fit in. I'm skeptical, just as I am of psychics or astrology, It may sound harsh, but I can't understand the religious mindset. As far as I can see, there is no place for it in the 'post science' rational society we live in. It doesn't mean I don't have a spiritual side, I find a great deal of peace and solace hiking and walking in beautiful places, I just prefer not to dress as an extra from Lord Of The Rings while I'm doing it.
Having said all that, I do love the mystery of a Prehistoric site. The fact that we'll never really know what went on here, or indeed why it was built in this particular spot I find satisfying. Archaeology gives us tantalising glimpses into our unknown prehistoric past, but ultimately the 'finds' from many cultures are little more than the picking over of very old bones, or more usually, their rubbish heaps. It's nice that in this day and age there are still questions that remain unanswered (and indeed with prehistory, will probably remain so). I find it staggering that were no more than 2800 generations (14000 years ago) from those first permanent settlers that came to our shores.as small bands of hunter gatherers. 2800 generations to go from a few wandering tribes using stone and wood hand tools to space travel, the computer age and the brink of our own destruction by our own selfish needs is quite an achievement.
The fact that Avebury appears to be part of a larger and older 'ritual landscape' has always puzzled me though. Why here rather than twenty miles up the road? And why the scale of the monuments? Avebury and it's environs dwarf our most popular world heritage site Stonehenge. Plus, the man hours to create the complex of Henges, Circles ,Burial Mounds and up the road Silbury Hill is mind boggling. Of course, these were all built at differing times spanning thousands of years, but for the area to be occupied in the same 'ritual' manner for this period of time means the land must have meant something significant to it's occupants.
As far as I'm aware, development of the ritual landscape started off with Windmill Hill Causewayed Enclosure. Current thinking sees Windmill Hill as a prehistoric meeting, feasting or trading place (I'm guessing for flint or livestock) not a defensive enclosure. Archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson has come up with the hypothesis that the stone used in the circle represents 'the ancestors'. Whilst other monuments built of wood (Woodhege, Durrington Walls etc..) are the realm of the living. If this is the case, then Avebury must be one of the very few places in Britain to have a continuously lived in 'limnal' landscape.
Anyhooo, I'm no expert and I'm blathering, so I'll stop. Hope you enjoy the images.
Not had a fully functioning DSLR before, just a 'bridge' type camera but am enjoying coming to grips with the Canon. Quite pleased with some of the results, even the slightly out of focus shots (the AF didn't work so well in low light or darkness) have a certain something, well I think so.
It's quite unsettling the amount of sarcens that resemble faces or animals. Now I know our brains are hard wired to see faces and make sense of confusing patterns, but the wear and erosion patterns of some stones is quite uncanny. I tried to re-create that 'Children Of The Stones' (available for purchase in on site 'Henge Shop') vibe for a few pic's..
I didn't have a lot of time to shoot though, as the decision to travel to the 'downs' was a spur of the moment one, so it was late afternoon when I arrived.
It really was tourist central today, and I often had to wait patiently to try and get the shot I wanted.
There was also a large 'new age' contingent in attendance. The (slightly annoying) sound of bad drumming could be heard all over the site from a couple of 'heads' ensconced outside The Red Lion pub.
Not quite sure why there were so many Druidy' types hanging around, may have been a pagan wedding I suppose. I'm not aware of any festivals around this time of year, though I'm no pagan, so may be wrong there. I tend to steer clear of the 'gatherings' that take over the site on certain dates. I've never worked out if the 'followers' actually believe what they practice, or is it just a struggle for an identity for those who don't feel like they fit in. I'm skeptical, just as I am of psychics or astrology, It may sound harsh, but I can't understand the religious mindset. As far as I can see, there is no place for it in the 'post science' rational society we live in. It doesn't mean I don't have a spiritual side, I find a great deal of peace and solace hiking and walking in beautiful places, I just prefer not to dress as an extra from Lord Of The Rings while I'm doing it.
Having said all that, I do love the mystery of a Prehistoric site. The fact that we'll never really know what went on here, or indeed why it was built in this particular spot I find satisfying. Archaeology gives us tantalising glimpses into our unknown prehistoric past, but ultimately the 'finds' from many cultures are little more than the picking over of very old bones, or more usually, their rubbish heaps. It's nice that in this day and age there are still questions that remain unanswered (and indeed with prehistory, will probably remain so). I find it staggering that were no more than 2800 generations (14000 years ago) from those first permanent settlers that came to our shores.as small bands of hunter gatherers. 2800 generations to go from a few wandering tribes using stone and wood hand tools to space travel, the computer age and the brink of our own destruction by our own selfish needs is quite an achievement.
The fact that Avebury appears to be part of a larger and older 'ritual landscape' has always puzzled me though. Why here rather than twenty miles up the road? And why the scale of the monuments? Avebury and it's environs dwarf our most popular world heritage site Stonehenge. Plus, the man hours to create the complex of Henges, Circles ,Burial Mounds and up the road Silbury Hill is mind boggling. Of course, these were all built at differing times spanning thousands of years, but for the area to be occupied in the same 'ritual' manner for this period of time means the land must have meant something significant to it's occupants.
As far as I'm aware, development of the ritual landscape started off with Windmill Hill Causewayed Enclosure. Current thinking sees Windmill Hill as a prehistoric meeting, feasting or trading place (I'm guessing for flint or livestock) not a defensive enclosure. Archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson has come up with the hypothesis that the stone used in the circle represents 'the ancestors'. Whilst other monuments built of wood (Woodhege, Durrington Walls etc..) are the realm of the living. If this is the case, then Avebury must be one of the very few places in Britain to have a continuously lived in 'limnal' landscape.
Anyhooo, I'm no expert and I'm blathering, so I'll stop. Hope you enjoy the images.
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| Ditch, Bank and Standing Stone |
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| Children Of The Stones I |
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| Petrified Bunnies Anyone? |
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| He's Looking At You Kid! |
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| Children Of The Stones II |
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| Snow White's Missing Dwarf |
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| Petrified Horse Head |
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| Silbury Hill and a flooded Swallow-Head Spring |
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| 'Umbrells near the hill' |
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| Some 'heads' leave an offering at West Kennet Long Barrow |
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| River Kennet In 'Spate' |
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| Entrance to the tomb |
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| Swallow Head Sunset |
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| Magic Stars turned to stone |
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| Godzookie Is After Me |
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| Avebury Church |
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| Light Trails I |
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| Light Trails II |
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| Headlight Illumination |
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| Light Trails III |
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| Light Trails IV |
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| Beeches At Night |
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| Spooky Hikers |
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| The Avebury Night Bus |
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| Orion From The Circle |
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| Camels Head below Waden HIll |
Friday 1 February 2013
Echoes - Mojo Cover-Mount Compilation
The latest edition of Mojo magazine has a great 'psyche' compilation as a cover-mount disc. Now it's gotta be said, most magazine compilations are not worth the plastic they're burned on, but this has a great selection of new and favourite tracks in a great running order. Have a LISTEN and see what you think? Please don't forget, if you enjoy the tracks, follow the links and buy the music, you won't be disappointed.
Tracklist goes something like this...
1. Mind Mischief - Tame Impala
2. Kommune - Voice of the Seven Thunders
3. Shelter Song - Temples
4. Hand of Man - Django Django
5. Crystal Anis - The Liminanas
6. Sleepwalker - Moon Duo
7. Reasons Why - Toy
8. From the Sun - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
9. Mind Daze - Psychic Ills
10. Wide Eyed - Animal Collective
11. A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. - Teeth of the Sea
12. Flight - Wooden Shjips
13. Sunburnt Impedance Machine - Mugstar
14. Shrunken Heads - Zombi
15. Photos of Photos - Carlton Melton
Discovery of the disc comes in the form of French ensemble 'The Limiñanas'. The track Crystal Anis is just sublime (see video below)
1. Mind Mischief - Tame Impala
2. Kommune - Voice of the Seven Thunders
3. Shelter Song - Temples
4. Hand of Man - Django Django
5. Crystal Anis - The Liminanas
6. Sleepwalker - Moon Duo
7. Reasons Why - Toy
8. From the Sun - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
9. Mind Daze - Psychic Ills
10. Wide Eyed - Animal Collective
11. A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. - Teeth of the Sea
12. Flight - Wooden Shjips
13. Sunburnt Impedance Machine - Mugstar
14. Shrunken Heads - Zombi
15. Photos of Photos - Carlton Melton
Discovery of the disc comes in the form of French ensemble 'The Limiñanas'. The track Crystal Anis is just sublime (see video below)
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