Matthew Simpson http://matthew.shutterchance.com/ 2006-11-01T00:05:57Z

“The hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn” - David Russell

2006-11-01 urn:uuid:e25e74105b0ea8f9e8403033b7444f34

I've exagerated the photo alittle. The backbone of the church - the people, those which support it and in fact create its existence. The building itself, in this case becuase of its size, has a backbone too. When something supports - when it holds something up, it is often (when everything is going well) forgotten. It is the last place you look, the last place you see a problem. I often wonder whether it is the backbones of some, perhaps many, things that require fixing, cleaning or reordering, in order to create a better thing in itself.

2006-10-30 urn:uuid:87faa3ca9f7c03da0bbb0ed17fefa346

From my brief moments in Japan: a tea room. Beautiful in its sparcity. Minimal colors, minimal objects. It over looks a kept garden (this is a room taken from within a temple). The monks' maintain the site with a devotion and care that is as facinating as it is impressive.

2006-10-29 urn:uuid:e8305639398f2f0c3d9cf3af2dd09aeb

Winchester Cathedral, a beautiful place. Caught evensong on Saturday evening - listened to the 'Early Cantors' choir - quite something with in such a space. A busy tourist attraction, that has to combine itself with visitors and christian practice. This is the altar for the main mass, taken from behind the tomb of some long dead bishop of the diocese.

2006-10-26 urn:uuid:ca4bd348a1b1db1a379686aaaf258f37

Autumn and its mushrooms. They are quite a weird creation - blue, brown, red, black, white - spotted, slimy, smooth and shiny. Most animals seem to avoid them - but we humans love them. You can eat most varieties in the UK, but I'd rather not try it. This was one I found on Sunday - slimy and white.. not so appertising. I caught this poem on the way back from my weekend in the country - (I am fast becoming a fan of Heaney thanks to my girlfirend who pointed him my way) it shows the joy of Autumn, and nicely alludes to nature and its seasons of life and death too - enjoy. Blackberry Picking (Seamus Heaney) Late August, given heavy rain and sun For a full week, the blackberries would ripen. At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots. Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full, Until the tinkling bottom had been covered With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's. We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre. But when the bath was filled we found a fur, A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache. The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour. I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot. Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.

2006-10-25 urn:uuid:3af3ccd7551b9679edb2ae60d326cb01

I had a weekend in the New Forest with my exquisite girlfriend. I think it has been the first glimse of Autmun this year (very late for S. England). It reained a lot.. which makes it all the much more close, both to the nature around you, and the person your with.

2006-10-24 urn:uuid:0b5f533ccd0dc1c08ef24364cc70a0eb

I decided to play with this picture - try as best to create a picture rather than a photo, where a thought is comming into focus. It is a sword theme again, a moment where Chiburi is being performed: the action of cleaning a sword before sheathing it. What do you think?

2006-10-20 urn:uuid:d286a917bfa85c1f2c139e704417d295

No thought, just a friend - from sundays competitiion.

2006-10-18 urn:uuid:9c2847534128a1e12e08ba1fa9e2c29b

Sunday saw me at a sword tournament (a martial art called Batto-do)- this is a friend finishing a cutting mat. He had some really good cuts (and fortunately he was on my team) - this was the last cut in a sequence of 4 cuts It was a fun day - when your performing/ doing a martial art, there is many aspects to it that require physical accomplishment, mental discipline and in parts a 'performance' - where you take you imagination to produce a situation of realism, even though only you are on show (this is called Kata). However, whilst all of this is true for the cutting (called tameshigiri in Japanese) something is required to make cutting useful to you as the martial artist. “All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” - B. Lee Maybe that has some of 'something else' that is required?

2006-10-17 urn:uuid:2da07aaf6d58d42809e0dd0119492b24

A good friend, a night out, a tokyo train station. No idea what he was looking at. Anyone help how you make this photo a little better with the photography bit (not so bright)?

2006-10-16 urn:uuid:76cb696d89f827c907d66d9388d96553

I was standing here nearly a year ago. I was over in Japan for a tournament, and the one night we got out into the town (training all day is hard on the mind, let alone body) was this one. I got a few of us lost, as I knew exactly where I was going. I am still reminded of it. It was quite an amazing trip, and not one I'll forget, I hope. But even now, as I was thinking about this picture, its amazing how much you forget in a year. I think there is a greatness to a photo, even if just for you, it helps push some memories back into the front of your thoughts, dusts them of, and gives you a warm smile at their rememberance. "Sunday clears away the rust of a whole week" - Addison (English Statesman)

2006-10-15 urn:uuid:ea2c6871f6c0a711fe98331e411daa42

When sitting down after a walk at the weekend - I caught this poor fella lagging some distance behind his owner. He was tired, looking quite miserable and going very very slowly. I really liked the slow measured walk he had, all paws inline, and gaze focused to the floor. Oh and its friday the 13th..

2006-10-13 urn:uuid:27e2633066b399616dbb49c89802ecbb