Friday, December 03, 2010

Out of business


Down to the concrete slab
London, ON, February 2009
About this photo: It's Thematic Photographic's night-themed week. If you've got a pic that was taken at night, or simply reminds you of it, please click here to share it.
Ongoing economic uncertainty means scenes like this remain common across the urban and suburban landscape. There's a poignancy to gigantic spaces that used to be such vibrant centres of commercial activity. They were once micro-communities unto themselves, islands of connectedness that never seemed to stop moving.

This place, for one, had most definitely stopped moving by the time I found myself on the outside peering in. It was a bitterly cold night, and the forlorn light filtering out onto the snow-covered parking lot was almost an invitation to take it all in. Since it isn't my nature to be rude, I accepted the invitation and trained my lens on the remnants until the cutting winds not-so-subtly whispered it was time to head home.

Your turn: Why do some nighttime scenes seem so sad?

12 comments:

awareness said...

....because they remind us of our own mortality?

21 Wits said...

Night-time, when filled with darkness, is a lonely existence. Often filled with dead silence lurking underneath a dark unexplorable sky too far out of reach!

Rebecca said...

this gives me an empty abandon feeling

21 Wits said...

Looking at the bare floor again, the pattern reminds me of something from an old television network end of the day screening, or something like that!

Vicki said...

... because of the lifelessness that the night brings. The darkness, the shadows, the quiet ...

On a more lively note, place take a look at this post. I mentioned you a few times ... just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your feedback.

http://vickijf.blogspot.com/2010/12/im-soooooooooo-excited.html

A Paperback Writer said...

A most unusual shot. Very nice.

Rosaria Williams said...

...and empty spaces suddenly feel decrepit.

cathy said...

Has a decidedly post-apocalyptic look.

Serendipity said...

'cause colors are missing. That's why in winter people tend to be gloomy.

that guy said...

hits home to me....
too many buildings left empty. and no new growth..

the trades are dying...

bruce
stupid stuff i see and hear
and
bruce johnson jadip

Pat Tillett said...

Great photo and narrative! Our cities are now full of sights like this! The human toll is what bothers me the most...

Kalei's Best Friend said...

Some seem so sad especially like the one u posted because it looks like things are in disarray... as oppose to just a simple night scene at the beach or a pic of the moon...Disarray to me means: chaos, friction, unorganized... those words alone depict a certain sadness- no?