Mixed message
London, Ontario, February 2007 [Click to enlarge]
I walked by a tired building on a tired street on a bitterly cold day, and was drawn in by the facade. I find old brick to be a fascinating surface. Every crumbled corner tells a story. Faded and cracked paint speaks of futile efforts to halt the effects of the ravages of time. You wonder what this building must have looked like when it was new, and what kinds of things – routine or not – went on within its walls and on the street outside.
All I can see now are echoes. The street is almost empty. Even on a good day, this is a barren stretch that seems to have missed out on the good life. But a brightly colored sign suggests not all is lost. Hope, it seems, is never all that far away.
Your turn: What’s this image telling you?
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23 comments:
This tells me to go book my tickets to British Virgin Islands now and then get one of those drinks with the umbrella in it! WOW...all that from you pic! Nice job! I want warm weather now!
:)
The contrast between the old and new is what strikes me first, old battered building with peeling paint and then a bright new banner which catches your view first. When you look deeper then you see all the other little details indicating the loneliness of the unused building. So I guess, sadness/lonliness and energy/joy in one pic.
Lori
I was thinking the same thing. I wonder what it looked like when it was new. What was it used for, by whom? Indeed, if those walls could talk, I wonder what they would say.
Mike
Whats the story? That's what I'm thinking, what was the building used for before 'Tropical' moved in...and like Anna...it makes me think of warmer places!! Love the shot and view you have of the world around! You choose such interesting subjects and then with your words make the viewer really think about what they see! Excellent!
what strikes me?
i took a picture with a similar theme yesterday :)
old orange flavored drinks.
it must be destiny!
To me, this building seems like a parallel for us growing older. All the things we take for granted in our youth, are the exact things we miss desperately when they begin to fade with age! ( Like the paint on the facade) I've often said, "If only I could look as bad as I THOUGHT I did before I had kids!"
Then again, I think every town has a part like this. A part that is slightly past its prime.
You're very creative!
I see a lot of contrasts here. Old and new. Tired and fresh. Hot and cold. Its amazing what one picture can convey. If only walls could talk.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I have enjoyed your comments.
I reminds me I need to start planning a dive trip. Somewhere warm.
I like the color that the brick is painted. It reminds me of tropical seas, so I wonder if it was painted that color on purpose, to go with the sign? LOL
History. That's what the image is telling me. It's a gorgeous blue on those bricks.
Interesting shot.I like the contrast between thye old and new.Good colors.
I (also) enjoyed the various "contrasts" that the image represents...and that many of the comments have already expressed (with insight). To add a different thought: there is a kind of subtle reflection of our "global economy", and how our ideas of "near and far" have changed in the last 100 yrs or so...our big blue planet is "shrinking" (not necessarily in a "bad" way).
It's a WONDERFUL photograph, and filled with so many "contrasts" (as you have pointed out). Good find... :)
It tells me that an inital impression may not tell the whole story. Those bottom windows look new to me. There's still life left in that old building!
The building reminds me of a gracious old lady...one who has lived a very full life, having one of those tropical drinks on a terrace overlooking a warm sea.
And thinking about all those stories that are contained inside.
Great photo, Carmi!
Carmi: There's no mistaking the owners message here is there? Funny! My oldest brother once purchased a 100 year old home and claimed later that he lost five years off his life moving staircases, rewiring, doing plumbing and otherwise rehabbing the shabby dwelling. Here in the Mid-West, many are uninhabitable due to asbestos and Lead Paint. Yet, in many cases with a little elbow grease, "what's old is new!" Thanks for another cool post!
actually...i kind of like that faded look...and i love the shade of blue. people pay a lot of money these days to make things look worn and old. when i see old places like this, it reminds me of the children's book "the little house" by virginia lee burton. i always wonder about the history of places, too....
Great photo, Carmi. Has an almost "haunting" quality to it.
It's telling me that...in time, everything fades.
It reminds me of CUBA!
That sign is pretty ironic isn't it? One of those pictures that paint a thoudand words that you are so good at capturing.
Michele sent me to say howdy.
I have come back to this photo several times and have finally figured out why I was so drawn to it. I live in a very rural area...homes, farms, places of worship all far apart. As I drive down our country roads I sometimes wonder what brought all of these people to this area...some chose to live here as we did, others maybe "stuck" here....no close neighbors, jobs miles and maybe hours away...but there is privacy, absolute quiet, and such beauty in nature. The building shows windows on top of windows, nothing secret there, no drapes on some, blazing banner below, eyes looking, nosing around....makes me feel happy I am where I am.
Don't just watch the world from the window. Get out in it!
If that building were in this downtown NY, neighborhood, it would sell for a gazillion billion dollars no matter what its state, and then someone like Donald Trump would put up an ill-fitting skyscraper in its place. And for good measure, they'd find a way to get taxpayers to pay for it.
I personally think the TROPICAL sign takes away from a very soft on the eyes building--like when they colorize a movie. Doesn't fit.
he windows look like they are winking at us.
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