Runner's World - Rave Run article June 2013 edition

A few months ago, towards the beginning of the year (that is how these things tend to work) I shot and wrote an article for leading South African running magazine Runner's World. It was a follow up on a rave run I had done on a trail run over what is called the Oldenburgia Trail. The article runs as a double page spread with a textual overlay.

Below are the two images they used, and below that are a few more that they didn't. And after all the images there is the text from the article, posted with permission of Runner's World.

 

 

RAVE RUN: Grahamstown and Campus

Photographs and Text: Paul Greenway

 

GPS Locations

Somerset Street, New Street intersection: 33°18.40’90”S; 26°31.15’.55”E

Drostdy Arch on Somerset Street: 33°18.45’70”S; 26°31.18’.73”E

1820 Settler’s Monument off Lucas Avenue: 33°19.06’55”S; 26°.31’07.50”E.

Terrain

Mostly an easy road run with some paved pathways and a few steps. It is difficult to go anywhere in Grahamstown without finding a hill but this route draws in panoramic town and campus views as well as historic landmarks and points of interest. Take time to stop, stretch and absorb if you can.

Configuration

The figure of eight configuration means that you can enter anywhere along the route but a good place to start is by the Drama department at the entrance to the Rhodes University’s campus. A drive up to the 1820 Settler’s Monument, adjacent to the historic Fort Selwyn is also a great place to begin but you will finish on a steep ascent. Take in entire town views as you catch your breath. 

Duration

The entire route is about 5.2km, with a ‘town’ loop of 2.2km and a campus circuit, incorporating Fort Selwyn and the 1820 Settler’s Monument, making up the rest.

The Experience

Grahamstown is seeped in history from academia to architecture. Firm footing means you can run with your head held high taking in the sights. Somerset Street roughly demarcates campus to the south west from town to the north east.  

Dawdle past the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint George, originally built between 1824-30, which has the tallest cathedral spire in South Africa. On Somerset Street turn left through the Drostdy Arch and up along Centenary Walk. This used to be the old colonial parade ground but now leads you up to the ivory tower of Rhodes’ main administration building. Artillery Road takes you through campus then onto a cardiac climb that ends at the 1820 Settler Monument. Its downhill from there and past the Old Provost panoptic prison, then through the botanical gardens. The gardens were the first of their kind established by the British in the Cape Colony, in 1853. Break left down the brick path and over the wooden bridge to reach Grey Street then back onto Somerset for an easy downhill finish past the two Albany Museums.

Best Time to Run

Any out-of-term time will afford quiet streets. If the students are in, expect much more activity but seldom congestion. Grahamstonians have never heard of a rush hour, though African Street can get busy as can Hill Street. But if you wait only a few minutes the traffic scuttle will be over.

Refuel

The town is awash with great refueling stops but don’t punish yourself by not going to Red Café on High Street for their awesome light lunch options and artistic atmosphere. Café Delizzia and Café D’Vine always deliver on fine food with great health options too. Revelations, in Peppergrove Mall, is a must for glorious coffee and cakes from heaven.

Gotta Love Lions!

Recently I have been playing around with animated gifs off still images. I had a lot of fun and will look for more opportunities to photograph with a gif animation in mind. The animations were worked through photoshop. Hope you get to smile too.

Art vs Fine Art and more (2)

In my last post I spoke about the differences that lie between 'art' and 'fine art'. In it I talked about the work and works of fine artists being 'intense' and 'voluminous'. By voluminous I mean rich and with depth, not size or quantitatively speaking.  In this post I continue the discussion.

(All the example images in this post are from photographing the artwork of fourth year fine art student's work for their end of year exhibition catalogue.)

  

 

 

There seems to be another layer at work in comparison to 'art'. Art works primarily through the aesthetic. Fine art works with the aesthetic as just one of many tools. This is so often what is missed by the 'naïve viewer'. If this is so, then the need to try and match, or at least get close to understanding the aspiration of the artist - his or her intent through, with and for, the work is important. I suggested in my last post that to not work towards this when documenting an artists work or exhibition is to risk tainting it through careless re-representation.

The best way to avoid 'careless re-representation' is to try and align yourself as closely as possible to the authenticity of the work. Of course the very act of photographing yields a re-representation of sorts, but I believe it is important to be in alliance with the intent as much as possible instead of working against it. And this is the dilemma. How do you photograph/record/document with out undermining or disrupting the virtue of the work? The answer is to compliment/augment/enhance the work's message. Not oppose it. This is easier said than done of course as photography has its own language and limitations. Since photography of any kind 'translates', this is perhaps easier said than done.

 

  

 For example, some things, art works too not surprisingly, are more photogenic than others. This is a hard reality and it is well worth taking this into consideration. Drawing on your own experience and knowledge you should be able to have an idea as to which pieces etc will be more graphically pleasing than others when it comes to photographing them. Photographing an unphotogenic piece of work means that your eye and creativity photographing the work embellishes and makes it 'more pleasing'. But there is a danger here as over-embellishing may render the actual artwork or exhibition secondary, meaning visitors or viewers are disappointed with the artworks themselves. Of course they are welcome to be disappointed for very many reasons. This is what art is all about. But I feel it is important to try and locate that fine line between authenticity (to the artist/the work/the exhibition) and the creativity when trying to (re)present it. When photographing an artist's work they are, after all, a customer in need of pleasing, just like all our other customers. It is just that they have much more riding on the outcome than just aesthetically pretty images.