The Towers by Chipka
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
What of miniature towers on kitchen tables or bedroom floors: built from wooden blocks or garish, plastic LEGOs. How many cities were constructed beside beds, or on back pourches: meticulously constructed and torn down before bedtime? Is it not fitting to name them and list them beside Atlantis and Thule, beside Teotihuacán or Troy? They are, after all, vanished cities. They exist beyond the range of modern maps. What lost towers were built by children? What accomplishments lie discarded in the bottoms of forgotten toyboxes.
In the world beyond childhood bedrooms, other towers stand. They are larger. They are harder to construct. They are “real.” They are not the whimsies of childhood dreams. Toy cars do not crash into them. They are beacons: temples to modern gods, and an announcement of…
…something.
Some are beautiful. Others are crass, blocky, purely functional, and indicative of a subtle, social malfunction. Many of them serve inhuman purposes, though it is humans who maintain them. They are abstractions made solid; and, they loom, warning us away from a refusal of the hungry gods they serve.
Will the towers fall (perhaps, before bedtime?) Will toy cars ever crash into them? And if so, will their names be listed beside those of other venerable towers: Babel, The Hanging Gardens, or the vast ziggurats embodying Nebuchadnezzar’s architectural dream?
*
This is an older photograph from my files. I found myself on Wabash Avenue, heading south, after a day of…well…invariably, photographing things around Chicago. I’d just returned: Star Trek, the J.J. Abrams reboot was still playing in theaters, and I was still in the throes of culture shock. (Czech is such a bouncy, jiggly, musical language. American-Standard [Midwestern] English is flat, pinched, constipated and nasal by comparison. I longed [and still do] for the sound of a meaty, robust language.) I found these two buildings looming ahead of me. I was rather taken by the Trump Tower and it’s gleaming, silver skin. I liked the light and the hints of color that only so colorless a building might capture. There are times, even now, when I marvel at the Trump Tower, and it’s apparent ability to cloak itself, depending on meteorological conditions.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week. I’m still in the midst of work-related insanity. This, by its very nature, includes a vast amount of drama (some family, some corporate) and I know—for a fact—that I’ll suffer from a bout of Post-Dramatic Stress Syndrome when it’s all over…ah, but in that event, there’s a six pack of beer, and the something good (and probably exceptionally gory on DVD.
Comments (22)
Very beautiful shot, the converging lines and reflections are very fascinating. Your comments about lost cities made me wonder though: did you ever read a series of comics done by an author named Neil Gaiman titled "Sandman"? As you might expect it's about the sandman, the Lord of Dreams. One of my favorite incidental parts is that he's got a massive library of books that were never written. Imagine, a library filled with all of the novels and stories dreamed up by people who never actually wrote them down anywhere. Much of it would be horrible, I'd imagine, but I've known enough people to suspect that many of them would have been truly magical reads.
The tallest building we have here is 16 stories, and that is the only one that high. The heights Chicago has makes me dizzy, but still in awe of the construction and architecture. Legos did not exist when I was growing up, but we did have Lincoln Logs, and Tinker Toys. We managed to build a lot with those things, if our parents and family members bought enough of them to get anywhere. Then the dog would come in, chew some up, or lose them somewhere out in the backyard. Oh well. Maybe this is why I'm not an architect or engineer. LOL!
Ooh, I love Neil Gaiman's versions of reality, as I love yours, Chip; but that's a discussion for another place and time. Something in your words here flashed, and I had a sudden vision of a building that had a cloaking device that could hide it from view, like a Klingon ship, or just change how it's seen...a random thought that likely has nothing--or everything--to do with your beautiful shot. Well done you!
looking cool
Very cool capture and discussion. and I enjoy a good, gory DVD - my fave so far is 300!!! followd by Blade series and Aliens/Predator series/combos
Such a cool shot! I love the reflections, lower left. Outstanding image! I can see why you thought of LEGOs. Good stuff!
wow what a POV and View !! ,like reflections and lights !!really impressive!
A very strong composition that you have captured here my friend. Stunning capture. God Bless.
Awesome capture!
Beautiful and yet suffocating.
Striking image and words. Cars crashing into towers brought back memories of the World Trade Center. I have a picture of them in my gallery and the similarity is to these is a little unnerving. Towers also represent our pride and arrogance and our utter denial of our own impermanence.
Very interestingly graphic. I like the angle and the straight lines that give a sense of symmetry where there's none.
Spectacular and grandiose!
marvelous
GOSH! I have always wondered why those Huge tall towers are not tilting in a Hurrucane. Not that I ever wish they would. A really wonderful shot, Chip. Hope you soon can see an end of this Work Marathon of yours.
Not often you get a shot of a tall buiiding without some leaning artifact but you pulled it off here. Besides that I love the contrasting light and dark metal and glass works.
very beautiful composition
Now this makes no sense but as I look at these buildings I think of a toaster...shiny, silver and black, plugged in, always ready and taking up space. But why a toaster you say? Ok, it is most likely that I've been up for about two hours and I haven't eaten a thing yet. Let's see, an English muffin or a bagel would go very nice right about now...along with a cup of coffee lightened and sweetened with about a quarter of an inch of French vanilla creamer...non-fat. Oh, and your photo...superb sir! As always...:)
An exceptional shot, Chip! This definitely pulls you right in - talk about converging lines - wow! Dang it, Bill.... now I'm hungry! :-D
Really great shot - all the lines and the space in the right center - maybe a runaway from the city?!
makes us feel smalllll
I like the convergence of the two towers Chip and very nice depth all the way up.