Higgeldy piggeldy
(Electrical wires near the Bund: Shanghai, China)
I watched Terry Gilliam’s Brazil for the very first time the other evening and perhaps this could be considered a homage to that. I couldn’t believe the amount of cable involved in supplying electricity to all the buildings near the river Pu; I can only assume that these buildings predate electricity and that provision has never been made to lay the wires underground. What I like about Shanghai is its jumbled overall aesthetic; the smashing building to the right could be a Mackintosh era offering somewhere in Glasgow, and the left is reminiscent of a Parisian newbuild. The urban space is confused and higgledy piggeldy, but a thrilling adventure for a newcomer – and that is how a growing city should look.
Back to the film, Brazil; tubes, wires and ducts pour out of every conceivable surface, making life beaurocratic, messy and needlessly complex for the inhabitants, and this image reminds me of that extreme. The switchbox is hanging open, exposing all the wires within and the cable is trussed up and wound round, seemingly to prevent the reaching fingers of trees tampering with it. The great thing about these massive cities is that one can turn a corner and be exposed to something else entirely. But you do feel a little foolish looking up all the time – I don’t really do that at home, but in China, I feel I am constantly peering upwards to understand where I am.
– Today Rosie is in the UK, making a start on her illustrated calendar –
