Spinning Rainbow Umbrellas!

A long, bright burst of rainbow colour made the walk across the bridge at the Tynemouth Station a lot more fun this summer. Artist Stephanie Imbeau is behind the installation made up of colourful umbrellas - that spin! - and painted metal structures. The umbrellas were arranged individually as well as clustered to form floating spheres, leaving triangular gaps that allow you to see inside. Stephanie is an American who came to the area to further her art studies, earning a Master of Fine Art degree at Newcastle University in 2008. This is her second installation at Tynemouth station, and she's worked with umbrellas before.

The day I had my camera with me to take some shots before this bridge of joy had to be packed up, I got cut short when the metro came and I had to run off to get home. So I was only able to get shots from two vantage points, but I just love these photos, they're like a jolt of vitamin C. The swelled, colourful forms of the umbrellas, the lines of the windows and the wooden beams, and the transparent layer created by reflection of the glass and metal prism station roof through the windows of the bridge, made for a fantastically rich and vibrant composition.

I didn't catch the artist statement for the work and Stephanie's website hasn't been updated just yet, but there is a general statement about her body of work from which I especially like these points: "...retaining a sense of child-like wonder when looking at the world is important and an effective antidote to the stresses and anxieties faced in life" and "the use of industrial or every day materials point at the importance, beauty and significance of daily life". Just what we all need to keep in mind, I think! And her spinning rainbow umbrellas do the trick.

Have your eyes gone buggy? Close them for a few seconds so you can see the rest!

 Photos © The Swelle Life