Kestrel of Bahji is the first half of this site. It is a gallery of some of my photographs. I will add new ones regularly.

Droichead na h-Aislinge shows a sculpture I worked on for 25 years and for which I am seeking a site.

KestrelofBahji4500@yahoo.com

I took this photograph near Mitsumineguchi Station on the Chichibu Railroad in Japan with an Asahi Pentax 6x7 camera. I highlighted the smoke, the number plate, and the brakeman, and left most of the rest dark, even the sky, using a red filter. I had been photographing the railroad for years, then decided to include the people who keep the line running.

This is a photograph of our boatman on the Katsura River, in Arashiyama, Kyoto. He seemed to be guiding us to Eternity. I used available light, a slow shutter speed, and a large aperture to render the background hazy.

Here’s a photograph of my grandson. I used an Olympus M-1 and the immortal 35-80 2.8 zoom lens. I think the grain gives it an ethereal quality. He’s pretty ethereal himself! I followed him around for days, shooting hundreds of photographs, mostly film. He is easy to photograph because he understands that he is being photographed and likes the idea, so he doesn’t pose or avoid the camera.

This was inspired by classic black & white photography. The contrasty tones reminds me of Edward Weston’s work. It’s a digital image rendered in monotone. The location is near Tokawa Station in Chiba Japan. It’s one of those towns that hasn’t been ravaged by prosperity and progress. Some of the walking-scale streets are still cobblestone.

The time in the spring when the sakura trees bloom is deeply appreciated in Japan. Tokyo is the largest city (metropolis) in the world, the Shinkansen the fastest train, Shinjuku the largest train station—but nothing brings a crowd like two cats in a tree. This is Ueno Park. Hundreds of people joined me in appreciation.

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The Nightingale of Revelation

The Nightingale of Revelation began as a journey I made to Bru na Boinne (Newgrange) in Co. Meath, Ireland. This is a megalithic tomb that predates the Pyramids. Each winter at the Solstice, daylight reaches the back of the tomb. I read in a Baha'i publication that the light comes from the direction of Bahjí. I'm sure that there is a connection. The painting is an expression of that connection.

The bird itself is created from one of the Hidden Words:

O Son of Justice! Whither can a lover go but to the land of his beloved?

And what seeker findeth rest away from his heart's desire?

To the true lover reunion is life, and separation is death.

His breast is void of patience and his heart hath no peace.

A myriad lives he would forsake to hasten to the abode of his beloved.

Each of the lines above forms an element of the bird, in Persian, in the following order:

First line: The taj or crown of the bird.

Second line: The right wing (from the viewer's perspective).

Third line: The head, beginning with the eye.

Forth line: The body.

Fifth line: The tail.

Sixth line: The left wing (from the viewer's perspective).

The painting itself is oil and gold leaf and is about 2 metres in height. It took two and one half years to do from beginning to end.

The theme of this sculpture is world unity, the most pressing need of this age. It is a sculpture, not a model railroad bridge, although it could carry a variety of model trains. The intention is different. It will be about 35 metres long. The towers will be about 3.7 metres tall. Most of the metalwork—the steel parts of the towers, the span, and the metal part of the anchorages—have been made. They are waiting for a site and funding.

This is an early drawing. At that time I modelled the East Tower, the one on the viewer’s left, on the Brooklyn Bridge. Since then, it changed a lot (see the image above).

East Tower

The most striking feature of the East Tower is its flame-shaped columns. In contrast to the gentle curves of the steel of the West Tower, the East Tower's flame-shaped, pointed exterior is striking. Two 1.5-meter-tall flame columns, each with a tunnel entrance, will be located on either side of a central column, 37 meters above ground level. The columns are bright red with gold edges. One of the central flame columns is decorated with symbols and hieroglyphs. The other central flame column features Irish writing and symbols. Three flame columns will be connected by a cathedral arch, a brilliant silver and gray color. The cathedral arch is topped by two smaller Gothic arches and a smaller bronze peaked roof. Behind each arch are two copper peaked roofs. These are supported by metacarpal traverses. The Metacarpus Traces is placed on a brick wall featuring a trapezoidal wooden door and a crescent moon, three trees, and a group of 15 stars. The lower 2 meters of the East Tower are made of thick, sturdy brickwork and feature a large Egyptian-style wooden door with a bird symbol above it. The overall impression of the East Tower can be described as one of mystical realms.

Height from span to water surface: 2 meters

Length of longest cable: 3.5 meters

Tower height: 3.7 meters

Average tower width: 1.5 meters

Average width at tower-to-span interface: 1.7 meters

Number of bricks: 2,110

Amount of mortar: 1,914 kg

Base volume: 3.6 cubic meters

Tower weight: 6.8 tons

Base weight: 5.4 tons

Tower and base weight: 12 tons

Celtic Flame Pillar

This is part of the East Tower. In English it reads: Cross this bridge for it is built to carry your soul to its home. That’s the spirit and purpose of this sculpture. The figure at the centre is Jesus Christ, as depicted in the Book of Kells.

The Anchorages

This sculptural bridge has an anchorage at either end. The anchorages serve two functions. First, they pull the four cables down to the ground, reducing lateral sway caused by the weight of the span. In addition, the anchorages themselves directly support the span. Each anchorage features an archway beneath the ground, revealing the loosened ends of the cables, safely secured to the steel rods.

The two star-shaped and two circular structures above the anchorages serve to lower the cables down and into the brickwork. By seeing the cables being pulled directly, visitors can visually see how the anchorages function.

This anchorage is the starting point. Here are the spans and cables, and it's here that your journey begins.

Height of each anchorage: 1.06 meters

Width of each anchorage: 0.99 meters

Average width of each anchorage: 1.05 meters

Number of bricks in each anchorage: 90

Volume of each base: 1.33 cubic meters

Weight of each anchorage: 1.8 tons (2 tons)

Weight of each base: 2.02 tons

Weight of anchorages and bases: 3.83 tons