Yesterday, we spent the day at the Imperial War Museum. 
We were there to see the exhibition Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War. 

"Cecil Beaton is one of Britain’s most celebrated photographers and designers. His glamorous photographs of royalty and celebrities projected him to fame but his extraordinary work as a wartime photographer is less well-known.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Information in July 1940, Beaton was the longest serving high-profile photographer to cover the Second World War. He travelled throughout Britain, the Middle East, India, China and Burma and captured a world on the brink of lasting change.

In later years, Beaton attributed his war photographs as his single most important body of photographic work. Through his photographs, drawings and books as well as his work in theatre and film, this exhibition tells the story of how the war became a personal turning point in Beaton’s career."


I am a big fan of Cecil Beaton's. A prolific and talented photographer and designer, he managed to capture people and places with an extraordinary aesthetic sense of beauty. I adore his 1920s pictures showing the Bright Young Things of the time and he was a wonderful society and fashion photographer who managed to express the incredible elegance and mystery of the 20s and 30s.

I was very touched by the pictures he took in an England at war; his Blitz pictures have a cruel, dramatic beauty about them. Ever since I studied the Blitz at university, I have had a strange relationship to this period of British history. I am fascinated yet horrified by it, and when I see the devastation in London (or any other English city) it makes me want to cry - this coming from someone who very rarely cry. Cecil Beaton's pictures of England at war are truly enthralling, because he has somehow managed to give elegance to the ruins and a touching human beauty to his subjects. His pictures of the men involved in the Battle of Britain are incredibly cinematic and give those pilots an heroic aura, the allure of heroes worthy of the most glamorous Hollywood movies. 

I wasn't as taken by this pictures from the Middle and Far East - and it seems that the public at the time weren't either. Fortunately, there were not too many of them overall.  

After the war, Cecil Beaton returned to the glamorous world of fashion and entertainment, having proven to everyone, including himself, that there was more to him than an extraordinary flamboyant and talented photographer of beautiful people. He carried on working until 1974, when he suffered a devastating stroke (He died in 1980). 

Thorough review of the exhibition HERE. 

You can buy fabulous prints from the exhibition HERE. 

It is on until January 1st 2013.


Two of my favourite pictures:

I have started working again on my second novel, The Book of Thoth, for the first time since 10th October. 

I am very very pleased to say that I have managed to get almost 4,000 words out in two days! 

Please inspiration, stay with me (although maybe calm down a bit on the craziness of it all... The story is getting soo complicated!)

I am over 100,000 words now, and the book is far from being finished, so imagine the monstrous hacking that is going to take place at second draft!).

Artwork by Carya Gish
Design by Matt ArtPix

Here are a few pictures of Fields of the Nephilim gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire - Wednesday 31st October 2012. 

Carl McCoy looked his usual fascinating self. I wonder whether he has discovered the elixir of life... 

For setlist and everything Fields of the Nephilim related, check out the excellent SUMERLAND website.

For very good quality pictures and a review of the night, go to Ave Noctum.

The planned support band didn't play and was replaced by Jordan Reyne. I am so so glad, because I have discovered a wonderful artist whose world is very similar to my own... 

And now a few "arty" shots of the main band...

All this has been very inspiring, especially as I am writing a Gothic Novel at the moment!

Dorset is a county of mystery, or should I say, mysteries! 
We have discovered wonderful, atmospheric, inspiring places... 
Here are a few of them (there are so many!). This really is a very small selection and there are many many more fascinating places around the county. 

It seems that ancient beliefs and superstitions are still alive and well in Dorset. 
All pictures here are  © Carya Gish and © Matt ArtPix.

Langdon Hill "was known for having possessed an ancient coven of hereditary witches and it is possible the descendants of this coven are still working here on the hill. [...] Altars have been found in hidden-away locations." 

Louise Hodgson, Secret Places of West Dorset, Roving Press 2011.  

Another great atmospheric place is Knowlton church and rings. The Neolithic rings were probably a religious site and you can still see the circular bank and ditches. The church was built in the middle of the rings in order to destroy their religious power at a time when Christianity was asserting its powers over Paganism. It doesn't look like it worked though, as apparently the parishioners were all killed by the plague in 1348. After that, the church fell into disuse, and by 18th century, it was a mere ruin. 
Ghosts and mystical energies have been associated to the site. 
When we were there, we stumbled upon the remains of what we think had been a very recent Pagan ceremony. I would love to know more about the various elements in the pictures below. The main circle was made of branches, leaves, stones, twigs, feathers and sticks. There had been a small fire in the centre, and someone had hung some small wicker amulets(? not sure how to describe these) to a big branch. 

Each time we have been to St Catherine's chapel in Abbotsbury, we have found some messages in the niches, even some small candles. 

I will wrap up this blog by adding a entirely gratuitous picture of the view from the top of the Golden Cap, looking West.