Ticky Tacky
Toronto, ON, July 2008 [Click to embiggen]
You often miss patterns until you get far enough away - or high enough above - to see them from an entirely new perspective. As the Thematic Photographic pattern theme (see here for where it all began) rolls along, I find myself looking for patterns in everything I see. I try to stand in a different place, focus my eyes differently, force my brain to process it differently.
Why? Because life's just a little less precious when we let it all become routine.
Your turn: This photo resonates with me, as it keys off of the classic Malvina Reynolds tune, Little Boxes, (wiki entry, lyrics) that had some less-than-complimentary things to say about suburbia. What say you about suburbia?
Oops, before I forget: Have you shared your caption yet? It's not too late. Click here for endless fun. Maybe not endless. But fun nonetheless.
Posts
10 comments:
makes me think of a motherboard (or whatever is inside of my pesky little computer here)
That's what I love about flying - getting to see those patterns that we cannot discern from the ground.
Because life's just a little less precious when we let it all become routine.
This is true, Carmi. Well put.
I have to say that I kind of like my little bit of suburbia... yet it pains me to see more and more farmland go to housing (although with the economy, that has slowed a bit around here). Anyway... I like being in the small town feel atmosphere yet be close enough to the happenings in the city. Of course, in Des Moines, you can get anywhere in 20 minutes or less. (That's what we say around here!)
Cheers to the photo and looking forward to Thematic Photographic!
I'm glad I live in the country. The idea of being so close to the neighbors, even nice ones, is a little unsettling.
Cheers.
that's a neat photo... they're all so perfectly aligned, it reminds me of the little houses in 'Monopoly'... a great finale for the pattern theme!
Try flying over the midwest US sometime...
Speaking of songs about suburbia, one of your fellow Ontarians (and one of my newest favorite singer/songwriters) Kathleen Edwards takes a poke at the 'burbs in her song "Oh Canada" (never to be confused with "O Canada") wherein she sings:
"Up on the hill
Is the best real estate
Baby just to get in
You gotta sell off your faith
'Cause in the valley below
There is crack and young girls
You don't have to believe
What stays out of you world"
("Oh Canada" - Kathleen Edwards - Asking for Flowers, Zoe Records ©2008 This chick's music rocks and you should buy it!)
And if you really want to wax nostalgic, The Eagles did an entire song on the subject (which even mentions "little boxes") called "The Last Resort" on their 1976 blockbuster Hotel California
Lyrics here.
I've lived in the 'burbs most of my life, and like any other setting they have their good points... and their bad ones. My current location doesn't have quite as much "sub" to it as it did once upon a time, and I think most older suburbs get closer to being "urbs" over time. You really have to move out past the tree line to be safe from annexation around here.
That's progress. Right?
Great photo. I have avoided living in Subdivisions for this exact reason. i want a house/neighborhood that has some character.
I am also facinated with taking pictures of patterns. When I was shooting a lot of Slide Film I spent a lot of time trying to capture them. Thanks for the great pics, as always.
that used to be the theme song for weeds! do you watch it?
That's the perfect picture to echo Agrestic's hillside suburb (echoing the Weeds reference of vesper de vil) - great show, btw!
Read an interesting comment about aerial photos, recently. The writer commented on how many back yards in this province (Quebec) have swimming pools and how odd it is that so many people have them when they are only really usable during about 3 solid months out of the year. I like how observations about society can be made from up above!
I don't like the suburbs. The feeling that everything is so cookie cutter, so repetitive and boring. When I visit family in the city, it makes me a little nauseous. Lack of culture, lack of creativity. But of course, I live in the city now (L.A.) and it's dirty and noisy... Maybe I should move to the country.
Leslie
Post a Comment