o b v i o u s: the unique outlets and locks, archaic kitchenware and machines, boxy surveillance cameras, etc. However, I think it's interesting to note that although Roma seems to be sorely lagging in the high-tech department, some technologies and solutions are the norm here. While walking through Piazza di Spagna today to pick up my (old school) rental cell phone, I observed the very reason why banks remain so secure that bank robberies are nearly unheard of here: the high-tech, menacing, rotating, one-person-at-a-time entrance. The very thought of someone pulling off any sort of heist is beyond my comprehension. It's things like the revolving bank door, the dependable metro system...inherent technologies...that keep me from saying that Roma is entirely behind.
For my invisible cities assignment, I tried to keep in mind an interesting idea presented in one of the readings. I really liked the reference to cities of the past; time and spacial references to things that once were. Most of my images, I feel, depict a sense of change and may even spark curiosity. For example, the picture I took of the dead bird on my daily route to school, which I noticed day after day: What is the reason for the plethora of feathers on the ground outside one certain building? Why here...and why do they never get swept away with the ritual street cleansing?
The idea of transitions from public to private life, and vice-versa, is a very intriguing concept. Our reading discussed the pedestrian nature of the neighborhood vs. the motor vehicle grind of the metropolis. I thought of that classification while walking the streets of my own neighborhood here in Roma and searching for subjects of which to photograph. On a street adjacent to our own, I found a number of prime examples of transitions from public to private. This car...a very private mobile setting thrust into a public street...with a note on it.
Satellites attached to residential buildings, transmitting very public information into a private venue.
Balconies, perfect settings for intimate conversations...turned public by their placement (This corresponds to the reading's reference to patios and the division between public and private in the home as well. The front yard is entirely public, groomed for show; the back yard and it's patio privately holds conversations. Here in Roma, patios become inter-meshed with public life, just as a cell phone conversation turns public in a crowded piazza.
I am continually intrigued by the concept of video surveillance: you can feel entirely alone, yet just as our residence porter's monitor shows, you are constantly being watched.
Finally, I love the idea of reflections and mirrors assisting in transitions. How many people do you see each day walking past a glass building and glancing at their reflection? Do they look out of place quickly smoothing stray pieces of hair and fixing their posture, or is it the norm? I myself do this all the time: I think vanity is part of human nature. For this photo, I attempted to show how mirrors (and reflections) located in a public place can make a seemingly private moment just the opposite.
No comments:
Post a Comment