Manchester Pride 08

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The Cruz bus flaunts its giant flag.

It’s that time of year again as Manchester gives over its city centre to the flamboyant hordes. I was surprised that the afternoon weather—which has been singularly dismal this year—managed to be bright and even slightly warm while the Parade was in progress. Yes it’s August but this summer has seen temperatures struggle to rise above 17ºC and we’ve had continual rain.

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The Canal Street throng.

After the Parade the Gay Village streets were insanely crowded, too much so, it was impossible to move much of the time. That aside, there was a good atmosphere as there always is in gay crowds. (Or is that just my bias?) Roisin Murphy is playing the main stage on Sunday evening so I may stick around if the weather holds. As I type this it’s raining heavily—again.

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Numerous drag queens in evidence. And a shirtless guy on stilts

Previously on { feuilleton }
Over the rainbow
London Pride
São Paulo Pride 2006

Thomas Paul’s sealife

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Thomas Paul’s melamine plates parallel Laura Zindel’s ceramics in their borrowing of natural history engravings. Anything which brings tentacles into home furnishing gets a vote here and the octopus design at the top right can also be found on Paul’s cushion designs. Jeff VanderMeer would probably bemoan the absence of the squid but I took care of that department last year.

Previously on { feuilleton }
The art of Rune Olsen
Laura Zindel’s ceramics
Octopulps
New things for April II
Darwin Day
The glass menagerie

Wood that Works by David C Roy

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Falcon (2007).

David C Roy‘s wooden sculptures are fine enough when viewed like this but really need to be seen in motion since these are all kinetic pieces. Roy’s website has a choice of animations for each work, from Flash diagrams to YouTube videos, all of which are fascinating to look at. Each piece is spring-driven and runs for several hours. The movements aren’t as predictable as you’d imagine either, many of them create an evolving range of patterns depending on the speed or arrangement of the components.

Previously on { feuilleton }
Glass engines and marble machines
Peter Eudenbach’s Eiffel Ferris wheel