Posted: 20/06/21

Sunrise 27 May 2021 - Charlotte Tomlinson

I came to the vigil to enjoy the view over the city.  We so rarely get a chance to view Hull from above but going up to a rooftop bar or a viewpoint is one of the first things I do in any city I visit.  The sun rose in between a heavy layer of cloud but still the light changed in beautiful and complex ways over the hour – dark silhouettes against blue sky, pastel reds and pinks as the sun rose, then golden orange reflections, a bright white fog silhouetting again and then blinding bright sun casting shadows.  I expected to do a lot of thinking and feeling but actually I ended up doing a lot of seeing.  Roofs we never see, different textures, colours of burnt orange and pale blue and green trees.  It was strange not to feel the cool air or the breeze.  As the city slowly came to life I thought about movement and how patterns of people moving around and through the city have changed over time.  It was incredibly quiet but just before the end of the vigil I got a wave from someone walking below and it felt good to be seen.  My instinct was to record the event in some way – take pictures, draw, write about it – these are some of the thoughts I remember from my hour in the vigil shelter.  We often talk about ‘slowing down’ but this really felt slow.  An hour unlike any other I’ve spent in this city.  Thank you to all of the Hull Vigil team.  It was a pleasure.