Church

Järvenpää Church

Järvenpää Church is located in the Finnish town of Järvenpää, 40km north of the capital Helsinki. The church was designed by the Finnish architect Erkki Elomaa and construction was completed in 1968. Though the outside is brutal in nature the inside is furnished in wood and has room for over six hundred people.

Järvenpää ChurchJärvenpää Church

The church tower houses four bells that came from Austria and six different tunes were composed by Joonas Kokkonen.

Järvenpää Church

In 2009 Järvenpää Church was voted the ugliest church in Finland.

Järvenpää Church

Since seeing Järvenpää Church for the first time I have been back regularly to photograph the building throughout the seasons. I am lucky enough that when I am in Finland I am only a short drive from the Church.

Further reading:

I have released a number of images from Järvenpää Church as prints including this series.

For more images visit #SOSBRUTALISM

All Saints Church, Budapest

All Saints Church, Budapest

Due to financial constraints architect István Szabó decided to use prefabricated elements and concrete when constructing All Saints Church. The unusual looking church is located in a hilly neighbourhood on the Buda side of the Hungarian capital. The project was financed by donations and built largely by volunteers from the parish.

All Saints Church, Budapest

Grundtvig’s Church

Last weekend I visited Copenhagen for the first time and one of the highlights was my visit to Grundtvig’s Church in the Bispebjerg district.

Only 15 minutes bus ride from Copenhagen central station, the church is a rare example of expressionist church architecture. The construction of a church, in the name of  hymn writer N.F.S Grundtvig, was decided in 1913 after a competition won by Peder Vihelm Jensen-Klint.

Grundtvig's Church

After the death of Klint in 1930 his son Kaare Klint took over construction and the church was finished in 1940, nineteen years after the foundations were laid.

Once the construction of the church was agreed it was to be the center of a new neighborhood and the surrounding houses were built around it in the same yellow brick.

My trip to the church was remarkable. Only a short distance from town the church seem to be far enough away that it saw little visitors, or at least during my visit, there was only a handful of people during the time I was there. The emptiness of the church only added value to the experience and allowed plenty of uninterrupted time for photographs.

High Ceilings

High Ceilings

Bath, England

Now that I have finally been able to get things together after the hectic holiday period, I can start sharing with you my photographs from my trip to England and especially those from the beautifully city of Bath.

Out of the many photographs I took this one inside the Bath cathedral has to be one of my favourites. The low angle shows just how high those ceilings are and what an impressive architectural achievement it is. I would have liked to have the aisle empty but it was a very busy day and was lucky to get it with only a few people at the far end.

What are your thoughts? Any great places in Bath you can suggest?

Memories of Christmas

Memories of Christmas

Happy New Year to you all!

Over this year I will attempt to post everyday. It will mostly be the photographs I take but a few travel stories and experiences as they come. I will also be taking part in the Dogwood challenge again and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their photography and meet like minded people.

What are your challenges for the new year?

Sculptures of Helsinki #11

Sculptures of Helsinki

Memorial for Seafarers

The Memorial for Seafarers has stood on the southern coast of Helsinki since 1968 to commemorate the lives lost at sea. On top of the monument a continuous flame burns.

In the background is the Mikael Agircola Church, named after the ‘father of literary Finnish’, and designed by Lars Sonck who also designed the impressive Kallio Church.

Taken from the ferry to Pihlajasaari.

You can find almost 500 outdoor sculptures, pieces of environmental art and historical monuments in Helsinki and they are accessible to everyone. See more and search through the database at HAMhelsinki.fi.