7 Wonders Swindon: Lighthouse (postcard)

Once the daftness of the seven wonders was established I went about trying to fit the original seven wonders with the Swindon ones - if only there had been a Pyramid centre in Swindon, there might have been 'The Geyser at the Pyramid centre" (as opposed, of course, to the 'Pyramids at Giza" the only original wonder still standing)

One of the ancient wonders was "Pharos, the lighthouse at Alexandria" so a swift trawl through the Swindon streetfinder uncovered an "Alexandra road". Bingo. A quick recce with the digital camera taking masses of pictures in all directions, then a lighthouse book from Hay-on-Wye, a choice of the Montauk lighthouse on Long Island and a little bit of cutting and pasting in Photoshop. It always helps to put the object you are trying to embed behind something, so I tucked it betwixt the houses and the tree. I was also keen to give the glass in the light room a small amount of transparency, something that sells the reality of it quite well.

Small error: the title is spelt 'Alexander' on the cover of the postcard; the real spelling is 'Alexandra'. More details about this wonder can be found on the Swindon 7 Wonders Site. Once created, the silliness about the 'first great global warming scare' came easily as I tried to think up a reason just exactly why a lighthouse would be this far inland.

Colour postcard, unumbered, given out on UK, US, Pacific & Canadian tours for Something Rotten July - October 2004. 1000 editions.