Mythology of Place - Homage to James K Baxter - © 1993-94 - Lloyd Godman - Lawrence Jones - Mythology of Place - Book now available

Photographs of the Brighton Coastal Otago World of James K Baxter

Taieri River near the Mouth

Homage to Baxter Resonance XI - Taieri River near the Mouth 1994

Three selenium toned silver gelatine prints - Lloyd Godman - image is mapped click on image detail to enlarge - Full size image

Resonance XI

I had been waiting to get this shot for quite a few weeks as I knew that the light had to be bright and from exactly the right angle to reflect off the water in a way that I wanted. From other trips up the river I had calculated that the light would be coming in from the direction I wanted about 2:30pm. As I finished the climb up the hill side and rounded the bend to where there is a clear view across the scrub tops, it proved that my calculations were right and I had to wait as little as quarter of an hour to take the shot. On the left the river winds up to Henly and the Taieri Plain, while on the right it flows through the rocky gorge to the sea.The track leads off into the darkness of the hills.

Map of Brighton indicating where the image Resonance XI was taken from

enlarge map

James K Baxter - Poem references

At Taieri Mouth 1961 - CP page 230

... The steel-bright couldron
Of Taieri, the old water-dragon
Sliding out from a stone gullet

The Glass Lamp 1962 - CP page 255

I remember mainly how
The river bent like a bright saber
Out of the ....gorge.

The River 1967 - NCP Page 229

Having at last interpreted the speech

Of the river - "Does it matter? Does it matter?" -

And carrying like salt and fresh inside me

The opposing currents of my life and death.