Beauty in music: Antony and the Johnsons

Antony and the Johnsons is a music group presenting the work of Antony Hegarty and his collaborators. Antony is a truly androgynous character, not in the media-crazed attention hankering way of -say- Boy George or RuPaul. But he is genuinely a human being who seems to be half-way the male-female spectrum. His unusual, amazing voice also seems to be sexless, or perhaps ambisexual. Antony's music is poetic, symphonic, melancholy and highly personal. 

This song is my favourite, 'Rapture', as performed live by Antony and the Metropole Orchestra in Holland. I can just cry when I hear this, not because it makes me sad, but because it is so beautiful and so fragile.

Beauty in art: Andy Goldsworthy

 Andy Goldsworthy, (born 26 July 1956) is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.

 

What I love about his work is the way it enhances what is already there in nature. Just as a rainbow or a lovely cloud can suddenly enhance a landscape, Goldsworthy's ephemeral creations add an extra dimension to the landscape. He sculpts using simple materials such as pebbles, leaves, flowers, raindrops and dust and creates imaginative, lovely works. 

Sometimes they only last for a few seconds, which is why photography plays an integral part to Goldsworthy's art. Sometimes people ask him to create more permanent things, but I think one of the magical aspects of a Goldsworthy is the fact that his works are meant to be temporary. 

Ask yourself this: would you still be enchanted by a rainbow if it was always there? Would you marvel at the skies if the clouds never changed? Would a single flower touch your heart if it was made of concrete? Of course not. We are moved by the fleeting aspect of this beauty, and Goldsworthy captures that like no other living artist.

Welcome: what to expect

Beauty may well be in the eye of the beholder, it is also one of the great comforters. Nothing de-stresses more than the presence of beauty. Nothing is more uplifting, than to witness the beauty in nature or the beauty within humanity. Beautiful artworks, music, poetry and buildings can be just as moving as the most glorious sunset, the bluest lagoon or the greenest forest.

These following photographs should give you an idea of what to expect. Pictures and tales of my many travels, searching for beauty and finding it in sometimes unexpected places or encounters.