Some Favourite Pics of 2011

Urban Fox on Southbank, London

Regent Street with 2011 Christmas lights featuring characters from Arthur Christmas.

While the workers are away, the machines can play. 
A building site in East London at the weekend.




Things do not always work out the way you expected.
Appearing Rooms by Jeppe Hein outside the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre in London. The walls of water vary to create different spaces and to allow people to enter and exit the spaces.

The corridor round the 2011 Serpentine Gallery summer pavilion, Hortus Conclusus, designed by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. It is a transitional area between the outside world and the garden within the pavilion.

Within the Serpentine pavilion, the central garden by the Dutch designer Piet Oudolf provided an area of peaceful retreat. See earlier post on pavilion

Covent Garden and 2011 Christmas lights, a short video

Covent Garden 2011 Christmas Lights, short video,  by Cybermyth13.

For a change a 41-second video of the 2011 Christmas lights in Covent Garden to show the movement of the reflected light from the mirorballs.

A still picture of the Christmas lights and decorations in Covent Garden.

Fun with 2011 Christmas lights at the Southbank Centre, London

Royal Festival Hall and 2011 Xmas lights, Southbank Centre, London, by Cybermyth13.

Fun with the 2011 Christmas lights outside the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre, London. The lights on the left are reflected in the glass partition on the right.

2011 Christmas lights, Covent Garden, London

2011 Christmas lights, Covent Garden, London, by Cybermyth13.

The 2011 Christmas lights and decorations are very similar to last year at Covent Garden with the red baubles but the star lights have been replaced retro glitter balls and spot lights. The lights are reflected onto the ceiling and the side arches have extra lights so it make the halls seem brighter.

See  this set on Flickr for other pictures of the Covent Garden piazza.

2011 Christmas Lights, Oxford Street, London

Oxford Street, London, 2011 Christmas lights, by Cybermyth13.

Last Saturday evening I got some good pictures of the Oxford Street 2011 Christmas lights. By reducing the exposure as much as possible the lights came out well. The umbrella and parcels are the same as last year but the Stars are new, replacing the large parcels from last year.

See this set on Flickr for other pictures of 2011 Christmas lights in London.

Two Lines installation, Southbank Centre

Two Lines, Saturday evening at the Southbank, by Cybermyth13.

Two Lines, a temporary installation at the Southbank provided a popular space at an International Cheese and Wine Festival on a Saturday evening. Two Lines installation by David Chipperfield Architects, outside the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre was part of the 2011 London Design Festival. 
See this webpage for details of the installation.

Occupy LSX - Tents and large dog outside St Pauls Cathedral

Occupy LSX - Tents and large dog outside St Pauls Cathedral, by Cybermyth13.

The Occupy London Stock Exchannge (OLSX) protest outside St Pauls on a Saturday evening with the tents providing a contrast to the solid columns of St Paul's Cathedral. There were several discussion groups around the steps of the cathedral. The dog belonged to one of the protesters.

2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Hortus Conclusus by Peter Zumthor

2011 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Hortus Conclusus by Peter Zumthor, photo by Cybermyth13.

This year's Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion, Hortus Conclsus, was very different from last year's Red Pavilion below. The 2011 pavilion by the Swiss architect Peter Zumthor was a enclosed space with a garden by the Dutch designer Piet Oudolf. It seemed a much quieter space that provided an escape from the bustle of the modern city.

For other pictuers of the pavilion see my 2011 pavilion set on Flickr.

2010 Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, Red Pavilion by Jean Nouvel

For other pictures of the 2010 pavilion by Jean Nouvel, see this 2010 set on Flickr.

Mixed summer weather in London

Sunny Southbank, London, by Cybermyth13.

It started well with sun in May. but it did not last.

There was too much rain 

and cloudy weather to be much of  a summer

End of summer

The end of the day, the start of the evening, on the Southbank, London,  by Cybermyth13.

The nights are drawing in, despite the good weather of late, and it is the end of the Street Photography Now Project with its weekly photographic challenges over 52 weeks. This photo of the front of the Royal Festival Hall was my posting for week 52. The project was to encourage photographers of all levels to have a go at Street Photography by providing a weekly theme. It has been very successful with hundreds from around the world taking part and posting a photo to the group in Flickr each week.

A is for Angles

Paper Tower by Shigeru Ban, South Bank Centre, London,  by Cybermyth13.

Angles in the Paper Tower by Shigeru Ban at the South Bank Centre, London. The tower, seen from below, is 22m high and made of cardboard tubes with metal joints. It was part of the 2009 London Design Festival.

B is for Buildimg

Willis Building, London, England, by Cybermyth13.

The Willis building in Lime Street, the City of London, was designed by Norman Fosterand Partners and was completed in 2008. It is 410 ft (125 m) tall, with 26 storeys. 

C is for Covent Garden

Busker and 2010 Christmas lights at Covent Garden, London, by Cybermyth13.

Covent Garden on a Saturday evening in December with a busker entertaining some of the shoppers.

C in Conor's A-Z.

D is for dark

A Coffee Shop on a Saturday evening, by Cybermyth13.

In the dark strange shadows appear. Outside a coffee shop near Tottenham Court Road tube station on a drizzily Saturday evening.

D in Conor's A-Z.

E is for Einstein

Einstein on a Bicycle, Phone Box, The Strand, London - 4, by Cybermyth13.

Einstein on a bicycle, Phone Box, The Strand, London

E in Conor's A-Z.

F is for food

Cake display in Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London, by Cybermyth13.

Fancy food on display in a patisserie in Gerrard Street, Chinatown, London.

F on Conor's A-Z

G is for Giant

Giant Squirrel by ROA - 2, by Cybermyth13.

Giant Squirrel by street artist ROA, near Bethnal Green Road, Tower Hamlets, East London.

H is for Hackney

Mare Street, Hackney, early evening, by Cybermyth13.

Hackney Central at dusk on a Monday in January 2010. The Hackney Empire is the building on the left. The decorative lights are described by Hackney Council as seasonal lights.

I is for Inflatable

Giant Bunny invades Covent Garden by Cybermyth13.

An inlatable giant rabbit by Jeff Koon was displayed at Covent Garden in October 2009.

I in Conor's A-Z.

J is for Jumping

Two Pupils statue, King's Road, London - 4, by Cybermyth13.

The statue of a boy jumping over a bollard.

Part of the Two Pupils statue by Allister Bowtell (1940-2006), made in 2002. The statue representing two pupils from c1814 and commemorates the Royal Military Asylum (renamed The Duke of York's Royal Military School in 1892) which occupied the site from 1803-1909. The statue is liocated just off the King's Road near Sloane Square.

Allister Bowtell: "...a pupil in about 1820, leap-frogging over a Chelsea bollard, trying to impress a girl sitting on a plinth who is pretending not to see him."

J in Conor's A-Z.

K is for Kinetica

Kinetica, Dalston, London E8, by Cybermyth13.

Kinetica is a new housing development in Dalston, Hackney, London E8. The 14-storey building designed by Waugh Thistleton Architects. The apartment block features four wind turbines stacked vertically down the rear of the building.. The rear is designed to channel the wind towards the turbines. The wind turbines were made by the firm Quiet Revolution.

K in Conor's A-Z

L is for Lego

James May's Toy Stories - Lego House , by Cybermyth13.

In a vineyard outside Dorking in Surrey, a house was built entirely of Lego for a TV programme presented by James May.

Construction took place during August and September 2009. The TV programme was shown in the UK in December 2009 as part of the Toy Stories series. I have a set of photos on Flickr of the construction and demolition (click here) and on my other blog. Conor's pix (click here).

L in Conor's A-Z.

M is for Manchester

Approach to Maine Road Stadium, Manchester, 1985,  by Cybermyth13.

The approach to Maine Road Stadium in Manchester in 1985. The stadium has since been demolished. The car in the foreground is a Ford Cortina Mark IV.

M in Conor's A-Z.

N is for Night

Traffic in Regent Street, London, at night with 2010 Xmas Lights, by Cybermyth13.

At night the lights come on. Traffic in a busy Regent Street under the Christmas lights in November 2010.

N in Conor's A-Z.

O is for Overdraught Pub, Haggerston

Going - The Overdraught Pub, Haggerston, originally uploaded by Cybermyth13.

The Overdraught Pub, in Haggerston, Hackney, before it was demolished as part of the development of the Haggerston Estate.

O in Conor's A-Z.

P is for Pavilion

Reflections Serpentine 2009 Pavilion 2, by Cybermyth13.

Each year the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, London, has a temporary summer pavilion designed by an architect who has not built in the UK before. This produces some interesting results.

In 2009 the deign was by the Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the architecture firm SANAA. One of the features of the building was the reflective ceiling.

For more of my pictures of the pavilion see here.

P in Conor's A-Z.

Q is for Quick

Cyclists in the Tour of Britain 2009, London Embankment, by Cybermyth13.

Going more quickly than most London commuters, the cyclists on the 2009 Tour of Britain speed along the Thames Embankment in London.

Q in Conor's A-Z.

R is for Red

Red railings and grass at the Serpentine Gallery Summer Pavilion,  by Cybermyth13.

The combination of evening summer sun and a pavilion with red glass walls is enough to turn the black railings and green grass both red. Red was the theme of the 2010 summer pavilion by Jean Nouvel at the Serpentine Gallery in Kensington Gardens, London. See this set on Flickr for pictures of the pavilion.

R in Conor's A-Z .

S is for Snow

Snow in Victoria Park , East London, Dec. 2010 - 9, by Cybermyth13.

Snow creates a special atmosphere, especially in a park. In December 2010, the snow settled not only in the ground but also in the trees. With the low light of late afternoon, it looked magical.

S in Conor's A-Z

T is for Tower

Kingshold Estate, South Hackney, London, Dec 1993, by Cybermyth13.

Halston Point, a 23-storey 209ft residential tower block on the Kingsland estate, in 1993. The estate was built in the 1960s and demolished in the 1990s.

T in Conor's A-Z.

U is for Umbrella

Oxford Street Christmas lights 1, by Cybermyth13.

Umbrellas in Christmmas lights in Oxford Street, London, in December 2009.

U in Conor's A-Z


 

V is for Victoria Park

Foggy Day, Victoria Park, London, England, 1987, by Cybermyth13.

A foggy day in Victoria Park, East London, in October 1987.

V in Conor's A-Z.

W is for Water

Appearing Rooms by Jeppe Hein outside the Royal Festival Hall at the South Bank Centre in London, England. The walls of water vary to create different spaces and allow people to enter and exit the spaces.


W in Conor's A-Z.

X is for X

Contrails and blue sky forming the Scottish flag, by Cybermyth13.

Contrails in the sky form an X in the sky over Hackney on a Sunday afternoon in October 2010. It resembles the Scottish flag.

X in Conor's A-Z.

Y is for Yellow

Concrete Staircase at night, Southbank, London - 2, by Cybermyth13.

A yellow staircase at night in the Southbank Centre by the River Thames in London. The style of architecture for the centre is Brutalism.

Y in Conor's A-Z.

Z is for Zero

Look, No Planes (and no clouds) over London, by Cybermyth13.

A picture of zero planes and zero clouds over Leicester Square, London, in April 2010, as the planes were grounded over the UK by the ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland. The suggestion was that there were fewer clouds because there were no planes and so no contrails.

Z in Conor's A-Z.

Chinese New Year, Macclesfield St, Chinatown, London, Feb 2011

Chinese New Year, Macclesfield St, Chinatown, London, Feb 2011, by Cybermyth13.

The decorations for the Chinese New Year brighten up the winter evenings.

The Shard, London Bridge, Jan. 2011

The Shard, London Bridge, close-up, Jan. 2011,  by Cybermyth13.

It was a sunny day so it was a good day to get some pictures of the Shard building being built at London Bridge. The central core was completed in December 2010.

 

For other pics of the Shard, including earlier stages of the building,  click on the photos or see my Shard set on Flickr