#wilman

'Discovering the Beauty of the Cyclades' is now in its sixth year. Certainly there are discoveries still to be made, though with so much beauty in remote areas, any research of the islands' terrains requires attentive planning and a high level of fitness.

Particularly enjoyable when exploring has been the constant reminder of ancient history through findings and markings together with dreamy views of distant islands with their mesmerizing sea and sky horizons.

Those included in the project so far in geographical order heading north are: Anafi, Santorini - volcano and caldera, Ios, Sikinos, Folegandros, Poliegos, Kimolos, Milos, Sifnos, Serifos and Kythnos.

W. Mark Wilman originates from the Caribbean, grew up in London and spent much of his life in Milan, but holds a special place in his heart for the Greek islands. His photographic project Discovering the Beauty of the Cyclades has had its first public solo exhibition, promoted by the Department of Culture of the Milan Municipality, at the Aquarium of Milan (10 May – 5 June 2019), while more presentations of the work are being programmed for cities in China and other countries.

Originally from the Notting Hill area of London, with origins in the Caribbean, W. Mark Wilman spent many years in Milan following a teaching and consulting career with a client list that included the University of Milan -where he lectured for fifteen years to PhD students, researchers and professors- as well as national and multinational organisations in a variety of sectors, and other high level professionals. He also developed his experience in photography there, working as a photographer for the Milan Cricket Club.

A frequent visitor to the Cyclades since age ten, Wilman has enjoyed numerous experiences on the islands, freediving, rock climbing and trekking to discover their abundant beauty in detail, using a camera to capture his impressions along the way. He began work on the project in 2014 and remains highly focused on it until today. His exhibition was dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Angelos Delivorrias, eminent Greek archeologist, director of the Benaki Museum from 1973 to 2014 and member of the Academy of Athens, who passed away in 2018.

The problem with the new top gear.

When the 3 wise men came forth to reignite the iconic British original they did it with some serious thought and clever although subtle introductions to the general public.  The first series as you may recall didn't include Mr May. It was a used car salesmen that had no personality and little understanding of what Wilman and Clarkson were actually trying to achieve.  Actually the recipe was simple,  but they didn't know what they were baking yet.  They also didn't even have the right ingredients. When May did join in the second series, he push buttons few dare push.  He had remember, already been fired for that weekly banter of silly articles he wrote.  Well to be honest it was journalistic wizardry. He knew he was not going to be bossed about by the big ape.  Richard Hammond, or Hampster as he is affectionately known also had no idea where the show was heading.  He wasn't as smart as the musician from Bristol, but did have a knack for remembering all things petrol head.  So they show grew, as they progressed, you got the sense that these three had start to build a chemistry that few other could.  They slowly connected each others dots, it took time, it took a lot of understanding of each others limits.  So with that the first of the challenges began.  Most had a seriousness to them. Driving a DB9 through France while the other two bumbled their way on trains and buses gave a sense that the car was the star of the show. So over the years the challenges became more and more obtuse and so did the 3 characters.  If you started the show with these three lining up cows with a Bentley, a GTR and so on, it would have never worked.  But these kind of school antic's took years in the making.  It wasn't something that popped out of a toaster.  Many many hours of careful planning went into every single episode.  Starting at the warming plate drawer, right up to full on blast furnace.  This is why the new show will never work.  They took the persona of half a dozen people.  They were crafted from previous shows mostly and decided that while Chris Evans was a good choice, this they thought would all come together.  Well it won't.  The three school boys took years perfecting their craft together.  What we have now is not chemistry.  It's just people with big wads of cash and some driving talent.  

You can't take a new set of untested cog wheels and expect them to mesh.  Hammond, May and Clarkson have been cooking a bond between them that cannot be cloned. Some diehard fans have thought the new list will be great, but it's like this. If you were one of the lucky few to have flown from New York to London on Concorde.  You would have experienced something quite unlike anything else imaginable.  But now, your choices are limited to what ever Boeing or Airbus can conjure up.  Yes you can have first class and your own bed, but it will always play second fiddle to what arguably was the best plane ever built.  It's like comparing a Cadillac to a Rolls  The best may not always feel or look that way.  But when you peel back the layers, you find the build quality has nothing in common. It takes General Motors a morning to build a CTS, but if you start building a Rolls at the beginning of May, it will still be on the production line when all the holiday makers have gone home at the end of August. 

So. If you think of the new show as a cheap car designed to last a few years,  small enough for your college kids to bomb around in, that's fine.  Cause in a couple of years, that along with this show will all be but a few photographs on the fridge of memories.  Things you fondly look at from time to time whilst getting the milk out for your coffee.  

Top Gear.  No,  Slipped Gear