But We Have Feet to Scale and Climb by H W Longfellow

A person ascends the higher middle part of an arched bridge, where its cornerstone is wedged.... more

by IC Papachristos

Title

But We Have Feet to Scale and Climb by H W Longfellow

Artist

IC Papachristos

Medium

Photograph

Description

A person ascends the higher middle part of an arched bridge, where its cornerstone is wedged.

This is the Kókkoris’s or Noutsos’s bridge, made of stones, in central Zagori, Greece. The protruding cobblestones’ pavement is visible. Steep, gigantic rock cliffs surround the bridge with the entrance to a cave seen in the background.

This sort of extreme terrain along with the human presence —both as physically there and as indirect presence through the existence of a man-made structure— offers rich texture and shapes; the latter are best presented in black and white; a pictorially timeless, artistic look is also provided this way. So, colour information was deliberately discarded!

The arched bridge was built in 1750 and is located near the Kipoi (Kēpoe, Κῆποι) village. It is 23.6 m (77 ft) long, 13 m (43 ft) high and spans the Vikakēs or Voïdomátēs river. Kēpoe is one of the 46 Zagóri villages or Zagorochória. They are all built in high altitude, on Pindus range of mountains, in northwestern Greece. Zagori is an area of great natural beauty, with striking geology and two National Parks.

The ascending individual’s photograph is reminiscent of the following poem lines:

“We have not wings, we cannot soar;
But we have feet to scale and climb

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (The Ladder of St. Augustine)

Uploaded

December 30th, 2019