Lines and four other finds
Five Finds is a monthly collection of five inspiring things we deemed worthy of sharing. If you’d like inspiration in your inbox each month sign up here.
From perfecting knots to decoding sailor tattoos, this month’s finds all have a distinctly maritime twist.
A guide to sailor tattoos
Swallows, anchors and compass tattoos are common place these days but nautical inks used to have important meaning to sailors. ‘Hold fast’ written across the knuckles is said to give a sailor good grip in the rigging and a swallow was attributed for every 5,000 nautical miles traveled. The Scuttlefish has a handy guide to decoding those salty sea dogs.
Image: Part of a series of covers for Iris Murdoch reissues, published by Penguin UK and illustrated by Bijou Karman
The Sea, The Sea
I had to decide upon my favourite book recently and it was hard going. I never did manage to whittle it down to just one but Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea was pretty high up on the list. Better still, Penguin have reissued a series of Murdoch's books with lovely illustrations by Bijou Karman.
Image: © Pekka Niittyvirta and Timo Aho
Lines (57° 59′ N, 7° 16’W)
Artists Pekka Niittyvirta and Timo Aho created this site specific light installation to highlight the tidal changes in the Outer Hebrides. The lights and sensors are activated at high tide and show projected future sea levels. Beautiful but haunting, they're hoping the artwork will raise the plight of costal communities.
Knot so fast
Hampered by a half-hitch? Stumped by a sheepshank? You need animated knots, a compendium of tying techniques with handy step-by-step tutorials.
Shipwreck’s story
The Memory Palace is a historical storytelling podcast by Nate DiMeo. Each short tale is perfectly edited and always accompanied by some great musical choices. This week’s podcast is serendipitously about Alvin ‘Shipwreck’ Kelly a pole sitter who achieved fame in the 1920s and 1930s, sitting for days at a time on elevated perches throughout the United States.
Studio news
Bird’s Eye No.1
Sneak peek
Bird’s Eye is a new publication sharing the studio’s unique point of view on the world around us. The aim is for it to become a yearly publication with each one exploring a new theme. The first issue is an extension of the ‘Venetian Masks’ photo essay from earlier in the year bound into an A6 booklet.
