Not until I'd brought this photograph up on my computer did I notice that this "circular" shoal of fish is actually a spiral. That reminded me of the quiz question beloved of children of the vinyl records generation: "Question - How many grooves are there on a record? Answer - Two; one on the A side and one on the B side". The success (or otherwise) of this question (for the information of those of the compact disc and mp3 generations) depends on you knowing that each side of such a record appears to have hundreds of concentric circles but both hold just a single, tightly packed spiral.
As public murals go this one doesn't, for me, have any outstanding qualities. However, it does add a bit of colour and interest to an otherwise quite dour corner of Boston, Lincolnshire, and that's often reason enough for the existence of such a piece. Unusually, I haven't been able to find any information about this work: for example, its title or the name of the artist. I imagine that the subject refers to Boston's past as a port of deep-sea trawlers and its current status as the home of a small inshore fleet. It is one of the relatively few pieces of public sculpture in the town. For reasons unknown to me Boston has fewer such pieces than many other towns of its size. I find that surprising since I can think of a number of Lincolnshire villages that are home to several themed sculptures. The present period with an economic climate that emphasises belt-tightening probably isn't the best time for the commissioning of such works, but if there is a town that would benefit from a few public pieces to enliven its streets then it's Boston.
Incidentally, the keen photographers among you may be wondering why I chose f11 for this shot since it resulted in the passer-by being slightly blurred. The answer is simple: operator error!
photograph and text © Tony Boughen
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
F No: f11
Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On
