IN THE ARCHITECTURALLY FASHIONED MEMORY OF WHAT IS NOW MODERN

 

I am of an age that is ageless, the very essence
that lingers somewhere between shadow and light;
that indescribable grey matter separating all that
aligns itself with black from all that derives its purity
from white. I am the illusive thread tying together
the journey, the twisting and twirling of cloths weaving
together past, present and briefly imagined futures.
I am the force between that barely dreamt dream
of what will be and that longing, lodged in the memory,
that leaves logic out to recall that single magical moment
from that day, long ago lived. That room in the mind
that holds so tightly to that taste once passed over lips,
ripe for the tasting, I am the emphasis of purity
in the remembrance of that very taste. All else,
long since, fallen by the wayside or lost out amid
the uncertainty of what’s remembered and what’s real.
I am the playfulness of the light you see cast bright
on your tall towers with their windows onto the world.
I am the linear contrast of urban lines, rising sharp
and structured amid the chaos. I am the smooth sleekness
untwining myself from a frivolous mess. I am
the seduction salvaged from the superfluous. I am
the impression left on the skin long after I’ve parted,
the mark of what once was, what is and what will be.
I am what makes the melancholy magical, every mood
a melody; the manufacturer of the moments the mind
will muster. I am the lines that will lead you on, latitudes
to rise upon and longitudes to fill your form. I am a city,
seen from above, with straights of sky-scraping streets;
lean lines, lengthy and lasting, marching triumphantly
forward as if to herald one’s rise out of confusing chaos
and stake your claim to stand above, alone, assured
and reassured, calm and confident, always exceptional,
occasionally eccentric, uniquely independent and always
individual. Modern made from a blend of what is
both memory and what has yet to be. I am everything
you put on to be who you are. Yesterday you dreamt
of me, tomorrow you’ll remember me, today, you are me.

  

All words and photographs by Damien B Donnelly.

This is a Repost.

SCENES FROM SOUTH KOREA, SEOUL, PART 1

 

Looking back at the last 18 days of holiday.

And so the journey begins, Seoul, South Korea… 

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The Dongaemum Design Plaza

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The Dongaemum Design Plaza

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The Dongaemum Design Plaza

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Pink character in the The Dongaemum Design Center

 

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1st night of arrival, we ask a taxi to bring us to the centre of Gangnam and he drops us off in front of & Other Stories, I work at the Paris Atelier of & Other Stories!

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The City Hall water wave of glass over the Metropolitan Library 

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Cycling through the traffic at Yeouido

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A modern shopping mall 

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Bike ride along the Han River

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The city seen from the National Museum of Korea

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Interior Ceiling of the National Museum of Korea

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Buddha in the National Museum of Korea 

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The city rising at Yeouido

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A face sculpture near Seoul Station

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The Lotte World Tower seen from Lotte World (think Disney in pastel shades)

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The city and Namsan Mountain seen from the N Seoul Tower

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Namsan Mountain, Seoul

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The N Seoul Tower seen from the Namsagol Hanok Village

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Interior of a house in the Hanok village

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Taekwondo in Action at the Hanok Village 

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Traditional Costume (Hanbok) at the Hanok Village 

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The changing of the Deoksungung palace guard

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Deoksungung palace

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British colonial architecture on the Deoksungung palace grounds

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Bell on the grounds of Deoksungung palace

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Deoksungung palace detail

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Traditional Hanbok costume at the Gyeongbokgung Palace

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

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Girls taking pictures at the Changdeokgung Palace 

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Relaxing at the Changdeokgung Palace

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Hand painted detail of the wooden roof at the Changdeokgung Palace

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Gyeonghoeru Pavilion at the Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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Gyeongbokgung Palace

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 

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The Secret Garden and Pavilion at the Changdeokgung Palace (Joseon Dynasty 1392-1910)

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The Secret Garden, Changdeokgung Palace

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The Secret Garden, Changdeokgung Palace

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The Secret Garden, Changdeokgung Palace

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The Secret Garden, Changdeokgung Palace

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The Secret Garden, Changdeokgung Palace

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Changdeokgung Palace

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The Men’s quarters in the secret garden at the Changdeokgung Palace

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The Men’s quarters in the secret garden at the Changdeokgung Palace

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Changdeokgung Palace

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Changdeokgung Palace

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Ready for the hike at Bukansan National Park Mountain Range

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Buddhas at the first Temple along the mountain trail 

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Buddhist Temple along the mountain trail 

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Buddhist Temple along the mountain trail 

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Going up

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Another mountain Temple 

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Mountain Temple Bell

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Temple entrance gate 

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Golden Buddha in the hills

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Temple roof detail 

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Buddhist Temple 

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Top of the mountain 

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A view from the top.

To be continued…

All photographs by Damien B. Donnelly

THE NEW LOOK

Day 29; National Poetry Writing Month 30 Days/30 Poems #NaPoWriMo

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I am
that fine line
that divides
what is feminine
from what is
futuristic.
That fine line
that flushes
the fabulous
out of the fickle.
The reflection
of what once was
incased
in something else
and might
one day
be called
another new look.

All Words and Photographs by Damien B. Donnelly

Photograph taken at the Fashion Forward exhibition, Musee des Arts Decoratifs, Paris 2016

In the Architecturally Fashioned Memory of Modern Made Man

 

I am of an age that is ageless,

The very essence that lingers somewhere

Between shadow and light;

That indescribable grey matter separating

All that aligns itself with black

From all that derives its purity from white.

 

I am the illusive thread

Which ties the journey together,

Twisting and twirllings of threads

Weaving together past, present and, as yet,

Briefly imagined future.

 

I am the force between that barely dreamt dream

Of what will be and that longing, lodged firm in the memory,

That leaves logic out to recall that single

Moment of magic from that day, long ago lived.

 

That room in the mind that holds so tightly

To that taste once passed over lips, ripe for the tasting,

I am the emphasis of purity in the remembrance of that very taste.

All else, long since, fallen by the wayside

Or lost out amid the uncertainty of what is remembered

And what was real.

 

I am the playfulness of the light

You see cast bright on your sky high towers

With their windows onto the world.

I am the linear contrast of urban lines,

Rising sharp and structured amid the chaos.

I am the smooth sleekness

Untwining myself from a frivolous mess.

I am the seduction salvaged from the superfluous.

I am the impression left on the skin long after I’ve parted,

The mark of what once was, what is and what will be.

 

I am what makes the melancholy magical,

Every mood a melody;

The manufacturer of the moments

The mind will muster.

 

I am the lines that will lead you on,

Latitudes to rise upon and longitudes to fill your form.

I am a city seen from above

With straights of sky-scraping streets;

Lean lines, lengthy and lasting,

Marching triumphantly forwards as if to herald mans rise

Out of confusing chaos and stake his claim to stand above,

Alone, assured and reassured,

Calm and confident,

Always exceptional, occasionally eccentric,

Uniquely independent and always individual.

Modern man made in a blend

Of what is both memory and what has yet to be.

 

I am everything you put on to be who you are.

Yesterday you dreamt of me,

Tomorrow you’ll remember me,

Today, you are me.