To my enormous relief I have been able to begin a new project this afternoon. I’m exploring the idea of a piece based on the medieval “Dance of Death” (Danse macabre), using as my material images from the Platinum Jubilee pageant. I’ve been looking at the classic references for this–the series of illustrations by Holbein and Granger, but also reviewing the broadcast footage of the parade on the BBC iPlayer. I’m convinced that the idea is workable, but I will need to put in a lot of time refining my selection of images.
My abiding memory of the experience will be the sight of Sadiq Khan (the Mayor of London) singing along to Dancing Queen–with actions! Reflecting on the frequent shots of the VIP box, I formed the impression that the only person there who was actually having fun there was the Duchess of Cornwall.
Actually, this will not be the only occasion on which the Royals have featured in my work. I really enjoyed doing a picture in my Masquerade series, adapting the wedding image of Prince William and Kate as Harlequin and Columbine. (See the Masquerade gallery elsewhere in this site.)