Judyth Hill, poet, performer, writing teacher, and author, lives in the verdant Jalpa valley, ringed by Los Picachos mountains, just outside San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She studied with poet Robert Bly, storyteller Gioia Timpanelli, and Deep-Ecologist Dolores LaChapelle. Learn more about this award-winning poem and poet: https://www.judythhill.com/
[Image: Mandolinenspielerin (The Mandolin Player) oil on canvas by Conrad Kiesel (Konrad Kiesel)(1846-1921), a German sculptor, painter and architect. Public domain.]
New Zealand concert cellist Charles Brooks has explored the insides of a series of musical instruments
Performer-turned-photographer took hundreds of shots of each instrument and digitally put them together
The stunning images of pianos, cellos and woodwind have been released in a Architecture in Music series
A new stunning series of photos has shone a light on the remarkable interiors of a range of musical instruments.
Images captured by Auckland-based photographer Charles Brooks show the hidden 'architecture' that goes in to creating some of the world's most uniquely crafted cellos, flutes, pianos and saxophones.
The astonishing array of shots, each compiled from hundreds of separate images, show in brilliant detail the 'vast and cavernous' spaces inside the instruments, appearing to replicate cathedrals and grand palatial hallways.
A cellist since childhood, Brooks spent twenty years performing with orchestras around the world, an experience that incited curiosity about the inner workings of the instruments surrounding him.
He has now released a number of the images he has captured in a series called Architecture in Music, seeking to unveil the hidden anatomies of these instruments.
Brooks said he became fascinated with the interiors of instrument as he 'never really knew what was going on inside', but would be thrilled by the experience of seeing the inner working of a cello or a grand piano while it was being repaired.
A new stunning series of photos captured by Auckland-based cellist-turned-photographer Charles Brooks has shone a light on the remarkable interiors of a range of musical instruments. Pictured: The inner workings of a Fazioli Grand Piano captured at Sly’s Pianos, Auckland.
Inside the F-holes: This photo shows the inside of a rare Lockey Hill cello which dates to around 1780. It was photographed whilst under restoration at the Stringed Instrument Company in Auckland, New Zealand
The astonishing array of shots, each compiled from hundreds of separate images, show in brilliant detail the 'vast and cavernous' spaces inside the instruments, appearing to replicate cathedrals and grand palatial hallways. Pictured: The interior of a Burkart Elite 14k Rose Gold Flute at Neige Music Atelier in New Zealand.
Brooks said he became fascinated with the interiors of instrument as he 'never really knew what was going on inside', but would be thrilled by the experience of seeing the inner working of a cello or a grand piano while it was being repaired. Pictured: A Fazioli Grand Piano
Speaking about the project, Brooks said: 'Concert Halls often reflect the shapes and curves of instruments. I wanted to turn that on its head by making the inside of the instruments themselves appear vast and cavernous.' Pictured: The keys of a Steinway Model D Grand Piano captured at Lewis Eady’s in Auckland
His photos however have attempts to take an inside glimpse to the next level, by bringing the whole interior of each instrument in the sharp focus, rather than allow a 'tilt-shift' blurring effect to allow the mind to make a flute's insides look small and cramped.
Speaking about the project, Brooks said: 'Concert Halls often reflect the shapes and curves of instruments. I wanted to turn that on its head by making the inside of the instruments themselves appear vast and cavernous.'
To do this Brooks used specialist techniques and equipment.
Using a probe lens with a low aperture of just f/14 'which means you need a tremendous amount of light', he could capture terrific amounts of detail inside each instrument.
'Shooting with Lumix cameras and an exotic Laowa Probe lens, I took hundreds of shots, slowly shifting the focus from front to back, and combined them with a technique called focus stacking,' he added.
'The result is an image which is sharp and in-focus from front to back, and that is what created this wonderful illusion.
Pictured: Inside a 1980s Yanagisawa T4 Saxophone which was photographed whilst under restoration at Neige Music Atelier in New Zealand
Pictured: The action of a Steinway Model D Grand Piano. Photographed at Lewis Eady’s in Auckland
Pictured: The strings of a Steinway Model D Grand Piano. Photographed at Lewis Eady’s in Auckland.
Pictured: The interior of a 1940s Selmer Balanced Action Saxophone, owned by renowned New Zealand Saxophonist Dr. Roger Manins. Photographed whilst under restoration at Neige Music Atelier
Pictured: A unique view inside an Australian Didgeridoo by Trevor Gillespie/Peckham (Bungerroo) of New South Wales
Pictured: The inside of a 2021 Selmer Saxophone, private collection
'Our brains are wired to expect photographs of small spaces to have a narrow depth of field. When everything is clear we automatically assume that the space is large. This is essentially the opposite of the tilt-shift-miniature effect that was all the rage a few years ago.'
In one of his compositions he frames the shadows cast by a cello’s F holes over its wooden back, to give the appearance of a creaking old wooden house as sun shines through the windows.
In another, a grand piano's uniform row of hammer makes it appear more like a futuristic building project than musical components.
'I’d never thought to look inside a Didgeridoo before and was astonished to find out that it was carved by termites, rather than by hand!'
Of the project he says: 'This is a work in progress. I'm still finding wonderful new instruments, and technical hurdles along with them. Even with the probe lens some are difficult to access, and lighting them can be a huge struggle.'
They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,
They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence,
When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,
So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad,
They told her they'd listen, then covered their ears,
And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears,
And she listened to all of it thinking she should,
Be the girl they told her to be best as she could,
But one day she asked what was best for herself,
Instead of trying to please everyone else,
So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,
She heard the wind whisper and dance with the leaves,
She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,
And she told them what she'd been told time after time,
She told them she felt she was never enough,
She was either too little or far far too much,
Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,
Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek,
Then she found a small clearing surrounded by firs,
And she stopped...and she heard what the trees said to her,
And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,
For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe.'
- Becky Hemsley,
Talking to the Wild
Notes:
Before Becky Hemsley presented her collection of poetry, Talking to the Wild, she had shared a video on social media that resonated with many people. Her book is inspired by humanity and nature, and takes you on a journey that starts with the whole world and ends with you. The book’s subtitle draws us in, for these are the bedtime stories we never knew we needed.
[Image: Reveries oil on canvas by American artist and illustrator Maxfield Parrish (1870-1966). This dreamy painting is one of several pieces by Parrish of the same name.]
Ianto Llywelyn lived by himself in a cottage at Llanfihangel. One night after he had gone to bed he heard a noise outside the door of the house. He opened his window and said, "Who is there? And what do you want?"
He was answered by a small silvery voice, "It is room we want to dress our children."
lanto went down and opened the door: a dozen small beings entered carrying tiny babies in their arms, and began to search for an earthen pitcher with water; they remained in the cottage for some hours, washing the infants and adorning themselves. Just before the cock crew in the morning they went away, leaving some money on the hearth as a reward for the kindness they had received.
After this, lanto used to keep his fire of coal balls burning all night long, leaving a vessel of water on the hearth, and bread with its accompaniments on the table, taking care, also, to remove everything made of iron before going to bed.
The Fairies often visited his cottage at night, and after each visit he found money left for him on the hearth. lanto gave up working, and lived very comfortably on the money which he received in return for his hospitality from the Fair Family. His income from this source was more than enough to keep himself in comfort.'
From 'The Welsh Fairy Book' by W. Jenkyn Thomas. 1908.
