Photographer: Tyler Fix"Here I am again. And yet this familiarity feels more uncomfortable than comfortable." -Jan Denise
I took this photograph in downtown Tucson as we were walking along Congress Street. I am not a Tucson local, but I realize that this a major, significant street. I imagine that it is walked by numerous people each day. However, this is a photograph of an alley off of Congress Street. One can read "Congress" across the green, rectangular street sign, but the name of the alley street cannot be determined--and I like that about this photo. It is just 'some' alley along Congress where only the homeless reside. Many people do not take the time to realize the subtle differences and details that border their everyday lives. People are preoccupied with the restaurants, shops, and businesses lining the main street. Meanwhile, what do you see and experience when 'sacrificing' your time to take a glance down a new path--this path of the homeless? Well, in this photograph, you see a plethora of colors and shapes and lines; the vast, visual aroma of the image swiftly hits your eyes. Initially planning on only devoting a head turn and a peek at the alley along Congress, you are now captivated by what you see. Sharp, metallic lines of wires dart across the sky, stemming from their body poles like thin threads of a spider's web.There are two STOP signs, one near and one far. It is as though the pair of signs are octagonal barriers, arresting the homeless within their mintute parcel of street along this alley. There is graffiti along the westward facing wall of a building, with exuberant swirls of color. The are multiple garbage bins. As you look down the alley, a homeless man sifts through a brown one, possibly looking for food, clothing, money, or a piece of shelter. In sum, you now realize something about your experience with this alley: the importance and impact of such an ignored alley offers more than just visual intrigue. This alley represents the unnoticed, "secondary-street-lifestyle" of the homeless--where they search for life's necessities and intangible answers to their sufferings within this subtle pathway, along this place we call Congress Street.
Elizabeth Rainey:
ReplyDeleteThis photo at first did not seem to work for me with the theme, but listening to the photographer's description in class made it come to life. I think that the idea is evident of an almost unnoticed reality of the world of the common homeless man that can be easily ignored by the passerby. The composition of the slightly off cent vertical of the alley way continues the eye through the photograph, inciting a feeling of loneliness and despair. I feel that the beauty of this photo is in the simplicity of composition mixed with the tangle of the waste and elements of the alley.
I love the vastness of this picture; it really makes you think twice about the world that can be found just around the corner. I would not have immediately made the connection between this picture and the homeless community if I had not heard the in class description, but now looking closely it makes a lot of sense. The perspective of this picture is very interesting because it makes the viewer feel so small, in such a large world. The other pictures in this blog were very dramatic, but this one seemed to hit home the hardest because this is an ally I have passed by many times, and not taken the time to peer into.
ReplyDelete-Sherry B