Contrast, Balance and Harmony

This photo is one I took a few months ago in Long Beach, California near the harbor that docks the Queen Mary. I walked the park just north of the docks and along the water is the ruins of old cement docks. Some riddled with graffiti but one particular beam caught my eye because of it's strange out of context message and the use of a stencil instead of free hand. The contrast of the beauty of the water with the filthy cement rubble. The street art that is not aesthetically pleasing as an art form. The sunset glow of pink off in the distance. And the signs of civilization in the background. The contrast is there in color, light, and content. The difference between rubble and civilization. The mute colors of gray white and black  with the light pink glow of the sunset compared to the blue of the water and the colors of the buildings on land along with a more prominent pink sunset effect. Dirty water under the rubble shows what happens to a seemingly clean body when destruction strikes. The balance comes from following the diagonal line of the pillar because camera is not aligned with the horizon. Without the horizon it feels straight but with it involved it does feel like a balancing act, much like the balancing act I was doing standing on pieces of broken rubble roughly 50 feet away from the designated path in the park and off of the grass with a small concrete wall to stop you from walking in. And while all of this happens the community of Long Beach is in harmony. The ocean still flows. The Queen Mary is still docked and operational as a museum and hotel. Cruise ships come to this port and are docked here while they await their next departure. This graffiti is in harmony because how can you destroy something that is already in rubble? This photo to me perfectly captures chaos with order in a balance and harmony that isn't disruptive to one another while still showing how different each side is. A man made beauty captured within a natural world.

Visceral Response

I chose a piece of architecture that causes a visceral response within me. And perhaps the thought is slightly biased because of my history with this piece of art but it causes deep feelings of beauty and adornment within me whenever I view even a picture of it or hear it's name. Dodger's Stadium. Even the nosebleeds are seats worth taking. Now I have a love for all baseball stadiums and fields as I see the diamond shape played out by the bases and the different patterns of diagonal, horizontal, and vertical lines that can be cut into the outfield and infield grass. The vertical lines of the the foul poles that as a kid you would  look up at imagining yourself pulling a homer out of left field and just making it inside the pole because the anticipation gets to not only you but to everyone in attendance including the opponent as you watch and wait to see the signal from the umpire. The colors of the pale blue that line the field and the seats, which were originally much darker but overtime have faded as the sun wears them out. The use of the chairs causes a gritty texture to assemble and you can remember the feeling through your shirt on your back as you look at the stadium. You can feel the cold rusty arm rests on your bare arms on a cool fall night. To the untrained eye you see a lot of negative space, the field of grass without crop or building within it. But to a fan that grass is covered just enough by the three players in the outfield and the six in the infield. We see the bleachers as crowded space as they are filled with thousands of patrons but to those in attendance all you see is the negative space of the seats that aren't filled. You feel the ease of getting up to go to the bathroom and get a hot dog and can feel the used space over take you as you walk in through the tunnel that leads to your section of seating.  Patriotism is contextually erected by the flags flown proudly in center field next to a California State flag and the lower flown Dodger flag. When I see Dodger Stadium I long to be there. I remember memories dating back to my first game when I was five, and I know that every time I enter the gates of Dodger stadium the feelings will always be the same as the first time I did so when I was five. The people may change but the smells, sights and game stay the same and for that my emotions are triggered in knowing that Dodger Stadium is an emotional staple for me.

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