
Andy Marshall's Genius Loci Digest: 25 July 2025
That moment got my cognitive juices flowing. I began to wonder: if a single face could hold such depth, what might happen if I tried to capture it line by line in my sketchbook?
In the late 1990's I had a breakdown that ultimately led me, through a journey that took me away from depression, to a new career in photography. What made all the grit of the dark days worthwhile was that I was left with something that felt like a pearl - a new way of seeing and interacting with things - more sensual, emotive and visual. These posts explore different ways of seeing and experiencing our world.
That moment got my cognitive juices flowing. I began to wonder: if a single face could hold such depth, what might happen if I tried to capture it line by line in my sketchbook?
What we all realised today is that our high streets are not just places to shop – the buildings that line them are repositories of memory. They tell stories about the people of the past: what we loved, how we coped, how we engaged with the world.
I’m completely jolted out of my torpor by a face staring directly at me from behind a phalanx of golden leaves
Here’s my chance to have parity with the generations that might listen to the final note of Longplayer in 975 years’ time. Here’s my chance to look down upon a thousand-year thread of time and try to comprehend what this building means to me.
In recent times, I’ve noticed a shift in my emotions—a kind of angst driven by the current state of the world, followed by a re-purposing of how I want to navigate it.
And so it seems fitting—uncannily fitting—that the man standing in the rubble should bear the name he did. Piper. Pipe. Conduit.
I think it’s because there’s a clarity of message here - a kind of truth that asks nothing of you. Not the sort that needs proving or defending, but one that is simply known, absorbed.
Here, I explore how these carvings form a vast network of meaning, linking past and present - thus contributing to significance.
I gave myself permission to stop and enjoy it, and to take time to photograph it, inspite of the curious glances from passers by.
✨ Wondering why I ask for support?
An Anxiety of Memberships