What Stephen has called “Turning the World” is one of my early lens ball experiments at RHS Hyde Hall. The lens ball and camera are on the wall by the upper pond. The water lilies and the trees are captured in focus within the sphere and out of focus as a background
Turning the world
I needed foreground, image said –
so lichen stone, a clean air wall,
unfocussed wider lakeside drift
brought closer by this bubble ball.
As lockdown asks which households share,
better to see the distant near,
claimed crystal foretells what will come,
good news or worse feeds hope, fear, both.
Deciduous, meniscus pads,
that strata, cirrus, treeline, glade,
lovelight the clearer seen in death,
glass darkly reflects bright for shade.
Like pinhole, this lens turns the world,
sole boots become where wear old hat,
the mighty fallen from their seat,
as downside up, Magnificat.
Light from the upper left confused,
site lines refracted, eyesight orbs,
perspective, points, horizon changed,
as pupils learning to absorb.
This landscaped portrait, still-life shot,
Hyde Hall well-hidden, out of frame,
for plot where choose to plant our sphere
of influence tags aim and name
© Stephen Kingsnorth 2020