Towards the midsummer sunrise

This is the east end of Milton Keynes' Midsummer Boulevard. It is called so because in a superbly metaphysical piece of urban design the street is in alignment with where the midsummer sun rises. Meaning if you were standing here for sunrise on the summer solstice, it would rise right in the middle of this picture.

I went to Milton Keynes today mainly to visit the MK Galley exhibition Future Cities. A near-nostalgic look back on the city's conception as a post war new town and the masterplans deployment on this area of North Buckinghamshire. There was some wonderful art celebrating the civic symbiosis of concrete and its organic capacity for growth and renewal. "Underpass" 1983 by Boyd and Evans features two lovers canoodling below the overpass (most likely this very space), leaning against the pillar it cements the concept of concrete-romanticism, concrete-futurism, a love affair with this material, with this city, is just beginning...

Yes overall I like the show, very much enjoyed the films, scale models, photographs, prints, and memorabilia. Particularly enjoyed the newspaper cuttings from the 1989 launch of Horizon Radio 103.3 FM; the first lines declaring how powerful and high the transmitter was and how far the signal reaches.

Although it is worth pointing out that exhibition was very much on message in the sense that all offerings were of an extremely positive outlook. It would have been nice to see some of the flaws, and indeed some of the designs for Milton Keynes that focussed on public transport rather than heavy car use.

Beyond the show, can;t say I liked the city all that much. A largely soulless central area, severe car-dependancy and roads that you have to drive at 60mph ( the speed limit) and even then get tailgated. It seems some residents drive 100 meters to the shops, leaving little time or space for a chance meeting, everything is ordered and planned around the car.

After all this managed to meet up with some friends of my friend Andy, whom I travelled down with, and spent a few hours with them on their houseboat. Overall a most enjoyable day.