21.9.10

Exactly Thoroughly

One reason why construction sites really appeal to me is that, for most modern structures, there is a tremendous amount of repeatability. Often every level is exactly the same, repeated over an over until the penthouse level. This fire-escape on the side of a half finished building downtown reminded me of it:

Amazing! Each level of the stairway is exactly, thoroughly the same.

That's something that age does away with--over time the roof will sag a bit at one end, or maybe the corner of one window will crumble, or perhaps the facade will deteriorate or half the shingles will go missing. A window breaks, a balcony gets bombed in, maybe a bullet grazes the cornice overhead.

But new buildings haven't had the chance. They're like newborn babies who haven't so much as skinned a knee yet.

5 comments:

  1. For some reason this reminds me of a sinister picture I took right after the 2006 war.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't really decide if the scaffolds are making this a better or a worse picture..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for sharing your photo, Patrick. I see the resemblance. Frightening.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this photo! who would have thought that metal and concrete could be so beautiful?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Sara! Metal and concrete can make a great canvas. I liked how it became an abstraction--the repetition and the shadows pull my attention from the functionality of the stairway. I see it as a collection of lines and degrees of light rather than a picture of a fire escape.

    But there is the unanswered question of the scaffolding. I wish I knew, but I don't.

    ReplyDelete