Monday 14 January 2013

Through a glass, darkly


Wandering around the chilly streets of Bath yesterday, H.I. and me thought we would go down into the Roman Baths to warm ourselves up. It's free for residents, so long as you flash your 'Discovery Card' photo I.D. at them on the desk, by-passing crowds of Spanish students as you begin the long, one-way trip around the displays to the real purpose of your visit - the hot water itself.

They take some pushing past, those Spanish students, but pretty soon we were standing by the great gaping mouth of the Sacred Spring, watching the steaming stuff stream steadily out, staining the stone work rust-red, as it has done for thousands of years.

The 'viewing area' in front of the spring is a tiny, cramped little space, and always packet with people - five abreast and three deep - but you can always guarantee a space right by the hand-rail within a matter of seconds, so that you can stand mesmerised by the gushing and steaming of constant hot water, allowing it to do it's healing magic.

How can you guarantee yourself a space so quickly when there are so many people who have travelled thousands of miles to be there, jostling to occupy it? Easy. Once they have briefly recorded it through the viewfinder of their camera, it has been ticked off the list, and they move on to the next photo opportunity.

All over the world, it's Seven (and more) Wonders are seen chiefly through a glass lens, then perused briefly at leisure through another glass screen before being archived in a hard-drive, then never looked at again. Everyone is losing their memories, trusting in machines to take care of them.

At least in the days of 35 mm celluloid film, people were a little more frugal with their cameras, and maybe three or four rolls would be taken on holiday - a maximum of 96 shots. These days, take an extra 32 GB chip, and you can lug home about 8000 of high-quality, plus video. I used to pause before stepping in front of a tourist who was pointing a camera at his wife - posing inanely in front of the worst church in town - but these days I charge right past and nobody cares.

The best (and only) bit of a 'Crocodile Dundee' film that I remember, was when a white tourist is standing in front of an Australian Aborigine who is fully painted up in the traditional manner, and is about to take a photograph of him.

"You can't do that, mate," says the tribesman.

"Why not?" asks the tourist, "Will it take part of your soul away?"

"No. You've left the lens-cap on."

21 comments:

  1. Nicely put, Tom. All the recording and archiving has gone too far: experience is being obsessively banked rather than allowed to waft on in its ephemeral way.

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    1. I have nothing against instant gratification, just so long as I find it gratifying.

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  2. It's like Niagara Falls. You have to hear the roar, smell the damp and feel the spray whip you in the face. You can't capture that in a photo.

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    1. When I was at Niagara Falls, a young Chinese man asked me to take his photo (35mm) up there on the viewing platform. I kept saying 'back' until his arse was up against the railings, then I said 'back' again. He got the joke eventually.

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  3. Are you allowed to bathe in the warm water?

    Call that a knife? This is a knife! (the only other worthy quote)

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    1. No - they found a rare bacteria which MIGHT harm you in the main sump, then they sold the rights to the water which comes from a new bore-hole to a private company, so now you can swim in a Private spa (subsidised by rate payers to the tune of about £30 million) at a cost of about £30 for half an hour. We in Bath are utterly fleeced by the council.

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  4. Gave me a good laugh that last bit Tom - I need it today when it is horrible here.

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    1. Let's hope it gets a little less horrible for all of us, but I'm not holding my breath... (cheerful soul, am I not?).

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  5. I must admit to being a fan of Crocodile Dundee. My favourite bit is the bit everyone quotes. "Call that a knife? ..."
    http://youtu.be/sLS3RGesIFQ

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  6. Being mesmerised by the gushing and steaming water, did you throw yourselves in ?!! ......... that's what some do at Niagra Falls,so mesmerised are they .... even some who don't want to commit suicide. XXXX

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    1. I tossed myself off at the top of Viagra Heights once, if that counts.

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  7. I find when i'm busy experiencing life, i'm too busy to photograph it with cameras. Can tourists also plunge into the healing waters, if they're willing to pay a fee?

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    1. Not in the Roman bit - you have to pay a lot of money to a private company who have taken away that right from us these days. Our council administrators are not what you would call above-board and socially-minded people, but unfortunately, they were not voted in and wrote their own contracts.

      ALL they care about is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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  8. So, now they've found the bug, can you not drink the foul fetid stuff any more either?

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    1. It was never intended (by God) to be drunk. The drinking of it was a little marketing ploy put out by tourist managers, 270 something years ago. Having said that, you can STILL drink the stinking stuff (tapped from the new source - I watched the oil engineers tap it and fit the valve) from a fountain in the pump rooms (carved by a mate of mine) and I think it may cost about £1 a glass. I would pay thrice that NOT to drink it.

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  9. Dear Tom,
    husband was against taking a video camera when our son was growing up - "V-idiots" he called those who shouted to their children: "Once again, pet, ride down the snowy hill once again, and more spontaneously this time, please!"
    Admitting that I like to photograph, I always do drawing sketches too - quite another experience, because it takes time and - mmh - might I call it 'soul'? Soul without a lens-cap on, maybe.

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    1. H.I. would definitely agree with you about drawing. With drawing you 'see', with photography you just 'look'.

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  10. Re Tomita's version of Clair De Lune ...... I'm just a sucker for any piece of music played in the sad minor keys ..... & I like the analogy of it sounding like Sandy at the organ on acid !!!
    ...... and, I have indeed got 1734 followers ....... what can I say, it's tough at the top !! HAHA. XXXX

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    1. 1734 - Even Dr John Watson did not have that many. I suspect foul play. (John Gray got his through fowl play - GEDDITT?!)

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