Midsummer Masti

Indian dance and performance celebrating weddings, fashion and culture. Shot in August 2025 at the MAC Birmingham.

MAC Midland Arts Centre

macbirmingham.co.uk/

Sampad

sampad.org.uk/

Flickr

Midsummer Masti | Flickr

Simon Harris - August 2025

Late 2024 Through to Spring 2025

The route to Xmas has been turbulent and frenetic, barely pausing for breath while being caught up in a continuously accelerating, carousel of motion and thought! I've found a metaphor of surfing upon a turbulent sea very useful as fighting against the inevitability of systemic change and our attempt to adapt to it, would render us overwhelmed by powerful waves.

So what has all this change been about and why the constant rushing? Of course there are a myriad of reasons, personal as well as societal, for all of us. However some are more manifest than others. 

Political change. Both in the UK and abroad, political instability is an ongoing concern. The lurch to the far right is conducive to an intrinsic misanthropy and a deep-seated paranoia. For many the basic appeal is one of pragmatism bringing about change that cuts through bureaucracy and complexity. The problem here is the Far-Right's destabilizing and facetious solutions to complex problems with multifarious causes and effects. The consequences of brutal and inhumane policies could potentially be devastating for those, in particular, who are vulnerable.

The election of a centrist Labour Party in the UK in reaction to an inept and corrupt Tory Party has, unfortunately resulted in a country having to endure an extended wait for change that will be beneficial in an everyday, practical manner.

Developments in IT. I have little desire to labour a point that we are all too aware of, however it's worth noting that the world of computerized representations that we inhabit more and more frequently is destabilized by continuous updates, slowed by a plethora of advertising, buffered by attempts to addict the public and made dangerous by a burgeoning use of disinformation. When you consider the additional complexity of current operating systems it should be no wonder that so many people, intelligent and experienced, struggle to operate them.

Purposeful disinformation via established organizations is concerning and points to a normalizing of utilizing misleading information, designed to alter our perceptions and behaviour. What effect does this have on our perception of reality and how healthy is this? 

Concerns about developments in AI are somewhat overblown at present as we try to weigh-up its potential impact and, in doing so, we become more conscious of it. However, the foolishness of developing powerful machines that mimic human thought and behaviour does need to be considered and soon! The potential problems concerning warfare, policing and seamless propaganda should not need elucidation in this short essay.

Arguments that surround computer-based consciousness reveal a problematic conception of IT-based consciousness and a difficulty in construing consciousness from a perception of consciousness. In the future, how can we discern a conscious machine from our perceptions of a conscious machine? What ethical, intellectual and practical issues will arise from this? 

Fiscal Uncertainty. Since the 2008 global recession the UK has experienced financial difficulties and uncertainty, that have become deep-seated and our everyday experience. High or Late Capitalism is, essentially the West's response to spiraling costs, economic stagnation and the emerging economies. The power balance has shifted away from the West and "future-proofing" has been rife. It's well reported that as essential services endure cutbacks and people who are classed as "low to middle-income" suffer financial difficulties, a tiny minority are becoming ever more wealthy. Brexit, global phenomena/instability and the COVID legacy are all factors.

We are all grabbing cash as quickly as we can, inhabiting an anxiety-provoking, everyday existence of high costs, stagnant wages, high inflation and dealing with representations of money rather than hard cash. Politeness has been compromised to the point where everyday interactions and behaviour that are conducive to everyday living, have become ever-harder to achieve. The roads have become more dangerous than ever, with seemingly feral drivers mowing pedestrians down and making their own rules. The Government needs to invest in transport police, actively engaging in law enforcement. Don't hold your breath! 

Trump's naive and aggressive approach to tariffs on imports to the US are the latest manifestation of fiscal uncertainty. Retaliatory tariffs from other countries are a predictable response that increases global instability. Financial naivety seems de rigeur with Liz Truss's recent disastrous economic policies preceding Trump's current ignorance. 

Image from ABC7 News. Copyright belongs with the photographer.

A New World Order. The geo-political, despotic ramblings of Trump, since his return to the White House have further entrenched and expanded the reach of authoritarianism, corruption, chaos and fear. A clear alignment with Putin's policies and an aloofness from Europe and other allies points to a merging of "primary" nations to seek control and power beyond established boundaries. Ideologically opposed nations are moving closer politically to create an elite that can enjoy more power over "lesser" nations. It's clear that the Far-Right is being used to destabilize democracy and established political practice to forge a more direct route to power. Far from political principle and established political ideology, the New World Order is driven by wealth and power, intimidating and threatening "lesser" nations and overthrowing democratic processes. Enabled by the Internet that acts as a destabilizing platform for misinformation and stirring up hatred and mobilizing violence, ideological and cultural differences seem to matter little when there is much power to be gained via fear and propaganda when wealthy and powerful aggressors can unite in a shared cause... An increase of power. 

A common theme within this burgeoning New World Order is the taking of land. Admittedly, a very traditional form of gaining more power, but this method has found a new vigor and prevalence. China, Russia and the USA have all invaded other countries or threatened to invade. Trump's threats of taking over Greenland, allies becoming states of the USA and retaking the Panama Canal are the latest manifestations of this idea.

It's interesting to note the shift from Liberalism to Authoritarianism. The rise of the far right has been fundamentally aided by the corruption and incompetence of established political parties; the political malaise that we have experienced for the last 15 years or so has resulted in an attraction to ideology that the holocaust rendered defunct, inherently dangerous and left a black cloud of fear across the globe.

Logistically speaking, the threat of taking land is a costly and dangerous practice that can leave an aggressor weakened. Soft power is often seen as more desirable together with the threat of potential military action to establish power ratios. This lurch towards military intervention can backfire and the appeal of pragmatism may result in protracted warfare, loss of infrastructure for both parties and military/civilian casualties. This would point to a cogent argument for international co-operation and "win-win" scenarios acted out on the global stage. However, the appeal of an apparent pragmatism "to get stuff done" may be perceived as politically appealing and a vehicle to increase power in a very anxious and volatile world. Commonsensically, doing needs to be balanced by potential risks, financially, militarily and the damage to infrastructure to both the aggressor and the victim.

Whether the ignorance and fear of Trump's campaign leads to an incidental peace between Russia and Ukraine or whether we see protracted war on the borders of Asia and Europe remains to be seen. Certainly the wise interventions of European leaders and diplomats will calm the storm that sits between a dangerous dictator and an aspiring dictator.

A Subjective Response: Ultimately, responses to an uncertain world interconnected by unwieldy new technologies, an accelerated rate of change, cultural upheaval, the chronic threat and actuality of war and financial instability are within our own personal control. Evidently, the manifestations of actuality are largely beyond our control but our interpretation of them is within our control. Information overload has, unsurprisingly lead to instability and a reaction of anxiety. 

History is full of corrupt and power-hungry leaders that have attempted to increase their power and protect themselves, often through dubious and dangerous means. In fact, the human condition is inherently paradoxical and our perceptions of reality are filtered through the optics of our own biases and limitations. As Rene Magritte articulated so cogently yet profoundly in his painting "The Human Condition" our perception is always intrinsic to our experience and comprehension of the world. As we attempt to free ourselves more completely by utilizing our creativity, our immutable condition remains and limits our comprehension, interpretation and behaviour. As during war we work hard to kill each other we also work hard to tend to the sick. As we develop new technologies to communicate more frequently we invite disinformation and addiction and affect our mental health in negative ways.

Rene Magritte - The Human Condition. Copyright - All Rights Reserved Rene Magritte.

As we saw during the COVID Pandemic, leadership often manifests at the lower levels of the social strata. Whereas societal rules may be defined by senior politicians, the implementation of practical realities are usually carried out by the ordinary people. Similarly, at the time of writing we can govern our own behaviour and interpretation of unfolding events that manifest in our 21st Century lives. If powerful leaders cannot show compassionate and fair leadership that benefits the public as well as themselves then at least we can adopt a calmer and wiser response to unfolding events. In this way we will be more able to look after ourselves, our family and friends and assist our communities throughout anxious and troubled times.

Orkney and Northern Scotland

 

1 - Across the North Sea from Wick

2 - Whitemill Bay

3 - Towards Hoy

4 - Whitemill Bay and its Clouds

5 - Bay of Lopness 2

6 - Bay of Lopness

7 - The Route to Start Point

8 - Doun Helzie

9 - Doun Helzie Towards Stronsay

10 - Mull Head

11 - Deerness

12 - Deerness Towards Copinsay

13 - Between Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm

14 - Beauly Firth from North Kessock

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Bay of Lopness

Sanday's Bay of Lopness reveals a bizarre and potent anomaly; the wreckage of a German, B-98 Destroyer. This doesn't detract from the beauty and desolation of the bay, its pristine, white beaches and the exotic, azure and turquoise sea. 

It adds an historical dimension, another layer of displacement to an already surreal panorama. In fact the bay points directly to Norway, as the crow flies that brings about another tier of immersive and intriguing history to the Orkney Isle's.

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Doun Helzie

Witnessing beaches that look like the Caribbean certainly defies expectation; a surreal panorama in the "cold", Northerly  outer-reaches of the UK. 

Doun Helzie has numerous caves, small inlets that are mesmerisingly beautiful and occupied by numerous species of sea birds. 

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Start Point

The land runs out at the Northern-most point of Sanday, a slippage into the Northern Sea and then resolution in a tiny island hosting a funky, black and white lighthouse. It's aptly named, Start Point.

At times the Orkney's have a suburban feel, an absence of trees, a flat sprawl of fields and hedgerows and splays of dwellings punctuating the expanse of green. However, when suburbia resolves in the sea, the sense of displacement is emphasized and the oddity of farmland or hamlets juxtaposed with the North Sea is both intriguing and evocative.

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Beauly Firth

I stumbled upon North Kessock by accident, stopping just north of Inverness for a short rest after hours of relentless driving and an awareness that Beauly Firth, where River Ness empties into the sea, was a sight worth shooting. 

From the main road there are steep steps descending to a small village that breaks onto the shore and resolves in the glass-like water of the Firth. 

I altered the camera settings while I was there, slowing the shutter speed slightly and increasing exposure. The colours of Beauly Firth, on a sunny day, are bright, varied and attractive. I exploited this during the editing process, ending up with an aquarelle-type effect.

To the left of the photo is the famous, Kessock Bridge, impressive in both its design and length.

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Mull Head at Deerness

Mull Head at Deerness, is a dramatic and compelling coastline situated on the north west of the Main Island of Orkney.  Coastal sandstone plummets into the sea, scattered and broken by erosion. 

At one point along the coastal route you can see a 360 degree view that takes in the North Sea towards Norway, the Northern Orkney Isles and the Linksness coast on the Main Island. It really is a breath-taking experience to perceive such a vast panorama at once evoking tranquility and inspiring awe. 

The experience is not dissimilar to a cyclorama in a theatre giving an impression of a 360 degree landscape. Victorian art has also communicated similar ideas exhibiting paintings of a  landscape in a circular room or hides that have been developed in rural areas that allow for 360 degree views.

The "Brough of Deerness" has a fascinating natural architecture where the sea has eroded the coastline to the point where a small outcrop of rock stands apart from the coast. There are also deep inlets carved out by the sea, such as "The Gloup", with steep walls and inhabited by a myriad of bird species. 

Simon

Flickr Page

Kevin Volans "Concerto for Double Orchestra"

I stumbled upon Kevin Volans's Double Concerto for Orchestra by accident. I was familiar with "Cicada" and one or two of his African inspired pieces sometimes utilising recorded sounds. They're strangely compelling if rather mechanistic, minimalistic curiosities that, for me promise much but never fully develop.

Volans's Concerto is different because it uses a much richer colour palette, exploiting the timbres of orchestral instruments and eruditely exploiting their textures and nuances. You can hear the influence of electronic music, serialism, minimalism, pop and Western classical music throughout the piece. The call and response between orchestras is Stockhausenesque but rarely dissonant, if at all. The timbral and textural interplay and exchange manage to be both cogent and intensely subtle, redolent of pathos, half-recalled fragments of memories, expressed in an abstract and oblique manner.

The purposeful simplicity (simultaneously complex) works to the advantage of the composer, in this piece. The limited harmonic change and absence of melody don't detract from the plangent and mysterious gestures via timbral and tonal subtlety. This is very much the Volans I wanted to hear, by-passing the busy post-minimalism of Adams, Nyman, etc or the absorption in pop music or traditional orchestral approaches, that other composers have exploited.

Like electro-acoustic music or the ambient music of Eno or similar composers, Volans has created an atmospheric soundscape for orchestras that is both gently contemplative and, at times intensely evocative.

Simon 22/02/23

Reflections on 2022

It's astounding to observe how life has changed, post-pandemic. Although quickly forgotten, the progress of vaccinations and anti-viral treatments have been both expeditious and profoundly liberating. Social distancing, lockdowns and other social interventions seem like a distant memory, a trace of a distant life, inhibited, limited and, at times restricted to communications via new technologies and the incessant use of facemasks.

Like some kind of dystopian drama, this was familiar, day-in, day-out territory for people across la monde, a raison d'etre, for, what seemed like endless, protracted months.

Image from the BBC website "Covid: UK daily cases pass 50,000 for first time since January".

Without question, we have much to be grateful for but we have short memories and time's velocity seems to shift as our perceptions alter and memories are negated to the back of our minds where others are prioritised and start to take precedence. Despite our collective successes we still suffer a malaise, a new uncertainty that reflects both our continuing fears of Covid and our successful adaptation to the pandemic. 

Today, not everyone wants to engage with life as freely and sociably as they did. New technologies have enhanced communications and the impact on people's mental health is underestimated. We inhabit a postmodern, halfway house, a purgatory, if you a will where the risks versus our adaptations, where liberty versus the safety of societal withdrawal are all salient, life-altering and imbue contemporary life.

Even those who wish to embrace life in its entirety, proto-pandemic find themselves disorientated and puzzled by business, politics, social events, the arts, education and sporting events. Opportunities continue to be limited and the detritus of a far-reaching, once-in-a-lifetime pandemic limit our wellbeing and invite an anxious melancholia that flies in the face of the experiences of the gregarious and the adventurous.

Those of a more introspective and reserved nature may find their natural inclinations to self-doubt and reflection, become more intense and the oddity of a surreal, hyperreal life via new technologies too unreal and disconnective.

What is certain, is that every single one of us has been profoundly affected by the pandemic.

The negotiations, social interactions and the dynamism of the workplace have become compromised as duties by proxy have become a standard mechanism of everyday working life. Bureaucracy seems to have an infinite life, a simulated end in its self, hampering efficiency and impacting on services throughout society. If you've tried to see a GP recently you may well regard my points as salient, even cathartic when you recall your frustrations? This is just one example of long waits and compromised services throughout industries in all sectors.

Furthermore, the impact of home-working, largely initiated by the pandemic and then continued for reasons of cost-effectiveness, impacts heavily on communications. Like a technological game of Chinese whispers, the journey from an initial statement to the final  instruction may alter course on several occasions or a statement may become lost in its entirety. The political consequences compounded by Brexit, the Ukrainian conflict, post-pandemic, economic fragility and interconnected worldwide markets, can result in extremely poor industrial relations.

The current industrial action in the UK, affecting many sectors has resulted in a typical stalemate, unmoving opposing sides crying out for consolidation. If we cast our minds back to the height of the pandemic, the compassion of the general public, the respect and celebration of frontline workers and the promises of politicians to award pay rises and greater respect for front-line workers and others that kept the country running, one can only feel perplexed and disheartened at such a quick turnaround of sentiment.

"Clap for carers" was a spontaneous, publically-initated show of appreciation for NHS staff, care home workers, teachers,  unpaid carers and other front-line workers during the height of the Covid pandemic. Image from the Telegraph.

Misanthropy appears to be intrinsic to postmodernity. Of course, compassion is manifest in contemporary societies and many of us are lucky enough to witness it on a regular basis. My point is the increase of misanthropy, a distancing from ourselves and others, from nature and natural processes that invites both ignorance and a devaluing the reality of being human.

We have become so immersed in a post-pandemic reality of complex computerised systems, interactions via obligatory technologies and disproportionate, bureaucratic processes that we have become desensitised to the impact of these occurrences.

My descriptions are nothing new; computerised processes and overtly bureaucratic processes or, indeed a life of symbolism and representation that assumes greater significance than that, that it signifies, are all regularly occurring philosophical and artistic tropes. My observations are the rapid development of new technologies and their increasing use within societies and the distance that this puts between ourselves and others and ourselves and the environment.

Our reliance on machines, a la The Matrix, is troubling as the consequence of this dependency upon our own creations are not understood. There are ideas circulating about "fixing" aspects of our condition through computerized interventions. The problem with this is that it devalues our experience and places us secondary to our inventions - the non-human.

Healing, health and well-being often arise from inclusivity, actions that allow for interactions and activities with other human beings. Physical health is aided by fresh air and physical exercise not prolonged immersion in virtual environments. Mental health can circulate around purpose, an expression of individuality within the context of society. Accelerated change and  the workplace becoming increasing technologically focused makes it more difficult to express our personalities within more limited roles. As aforementioned, the detachment from reality that overt use of new technologies can cause, can lead to anxiety and depression. 

In addition to the above, distancing from the environment doesn't aid a comprehensive understanding of current concerns regarding global warming, the dumping of industrial waste, concerns about animal populations, etc. If we wish to address these concerns and encourage a mature attitude towards nature then the more time we spend within natural environments the better we will understand its value, importance and how to manage the natural world in a balanced and harmonised way. It's important to acknowledge that, rather than a bifurcation, the distinction between the artificial and natural will always be opaque.

In 2014, AMPB’s Candido Mezua and Norway's then–Minister of Climate and Environment, Tine Sundtoft, called for the inclusion of Indigenous rights in climate negotiations during the UN COP20 conference in Lima, Peru. Image and text from the Ford Foundation's website.

Mistreating the natural environment may seem like an over-extension of the concept of misanthropy, as our dislike is aimed towards nature rather than ourselves. However, as we put ourselves at risk when we damage nature the word misanthropy becomes more salient.

In balance my arguments may have been more negative than positive, a critical analysis always has a danger of painting an unnecessarily bleak picture, that may reflect the processes of writing and thought more than reality, the subject matter. Therefore, in the last part of this essay I wanted to, briefly reflect on the positive aspects of recent times.

Sporting and arts events have once again paved the way for societal healing, a celebration of diversity and a collective catharsis that celebrates cohesion, healthy competition, collaboration, human experience and invention. 

Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne performing at the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, 2022. Taken from Blabbermouth.net

Culture, from the perspective of new technologies and science, from the bureaucratic and legislative frameworks that govern our contemporary lives, may seem a little quaint and oddly human. However, the arts and sport, conversation and the vital interactions that demonstrated compassion and positivity throughout the pandemic, helped us through Covid and out the other side.

Far from the idea that la condition humaine is problematic and needs fixing via artificial mechanisms, events such as the Commonwealth Games in 2022, both the men's and women's Football World Cups, arts festivals, open air performances and others all helped distract us from the difficulties we were facing and helped emphasise a path towards the post-pandemic. 

The intelligence of the arts encouraged discussion and reflection, creative works often evoked the experiences of the pandemic through inventive ways. The feeling of a shared human experience through sport and the artistic performances that accompanied sporting events was palpable. By attending public events people may have taken their fist steps back into public places after the restrictions and lockdowns due to the pandemic. 

It is precisely our ingenuity, our skills and ability to learn that can cause ourselves and our environment such crippling problems and, conversely help solve our problems. The Covid vaccinations and anti-viral treatments that were developed so quickly are testament to our ability to find inventive, powerful and compassionate solutions to devastating and far-reaching difficulties.

It's only through our most human of abilities, creativity, collaboration, learning and skills that such profound and beneficial solutions can be found. The notion of the human condition as an anomaly to be fixed opposes our intrinsic worth, our instinctive capacity for creativity and our innate empathy for other human beings. To "fix" our condition would starve ourselves of the positive aspects of our nature and would make us slaves to the manifestations of our own creativity.

Simon 2023.

Scotland and the Isle of Skye

 

Photos as follows;

1. Skye; Aird

2. Mallaig

3. Loch Sheil

4. Glenco

5.Loch Arkaig

6. Loch Lochy

7. Skye; Point of Sleat

Incredulous as it sounds, I'd never visited Scotland despite its close proximity to where I live. The lure of distant places tended to win out, over more familiar destinations. That being pre-Covid. Apres-Covid and its societal and worldly fissures, the nearer and familiar have accrued new meaning; nature has become of prime importance and an opportunity to interact with others, a new raison d'etre! 

Pleasantly surprised, you could say... I was naive about the extent of Scotland's wilderness and its Scandinavian-type beauty! When you wake in the morning to the Sun breaking through dark skies full of Cumulonimbus clouds atop high, rugged peaks punctuated by sprawling lochs I realised that Scotland was something special.

Then again, the Isle of Skye is something else. Part Celtic and part Scandinavian Skye's landscape ranges from Icelandic oddity to Irish-like, rugged coastlines and gently undulating land a la Yorkshire or Cumbria. Despite the hot, almost Mediterranean weather there remained a Northerly cold, suspended in the background, coming in off the sea. 

It was a relief to experience the slow pace of life at Skye. In many ways it probably hasn't changed much in a century, crofting, fishing, hospitality and the tourist industry are pretty much all I witnessed. Skye's remoteness and, contemporaneously its closeness and familiarity are cogent reminders of the UK's separation from continental Europe and its splay Northwards into the North sea, upwards towards Iceland and the Artic. 

Quiescence abounds throughout Skye. Sleat Point and its beautiful sandy cove, with views over the sea to Western Scotland and Mull, really encourage relaxation, a slow-paced mantra to a different way of life, much healthier both physically and mentally than the frenetic lifestyles of city dwellers. The air hits you with a strange purity, a tinge of Northern coldness infiltrated the Sun-warmed air and both the freshness of the countryside and the ocean were delightful! 

You can see why Paganism was the principle religion across the UK for centuries. When life is governed by the weather, nature and the seasons, when Aurora paints the night sky with light gods and goddesses of the Sun, Moon, sea, fauna and flora seem to make more sense. Surely these preoccupations are healthier than our current condition preoccupied with representations, artificiality, aloofness via new technologies and the worshipping of money? 

Whatever the philosophical, moral or scientific ramifications of multifarious lifestyles, exploring a land as evocative and unspoilt as Skye's is both fascinating and liberating. Indeed, Scotland, largely seen as an irrelevant wilderness and a distant drain on the economy by the ignorant and powerful at Westminster, offers an antidote to many of the problems we experience in our, hectic day-to-day lives. I feel the Orkney's calling! 

Simon Sept. 2021.

Simon Harris (the crescent) | Flickr

New Photography 2021

It doesn't seem unreasonable to state that our attention is focused on nature today. I mean, a pandemic and its huge impact on our lives, fiscal anxiety post- 2009 and our ever-increasing immersion in new technologies, all lead to a perhaps, reticent acknowledgement that the intrinsic, healing powers of nature and our mistreatment of the natural world need urgent attention. Paradoxically, coerced into ever-decreasing circles where one of our few pleasures is to exercise in the countryside or in our gardens, healing and contemplation commence. I was never one to concentrate on ecological problems, conceding defeat to an exploitative Capitalist system in my youth. However, when a pandemic is running rampant over our globe even the most experienced or hard-hearted individuals are beginning to develop a new consciousness of our natural environment.It's no longer idealistic, naive or clunky to claim that environmental issues require our attention; it's no longer about a willingness to unquestionably swallow or dispute scientific hypotheticals or vague facts, it's about pragmatism and the evidence that's unfurled before our eyes. I'm not suggesting that people should disengage their capacity for critical thinking or withdraw from practical, commercial realities and the deep-rooted politics that colour our social interactions. 
But, it is time to address nature and acknowledge its necessity to both our existence and to our health.

Simon.