Brutal

Sorry that you were mugged in the public place, I hope you feel (emotionally) better now.

 

I think the diptych is the perfect way to present your experience.

 

I see the busy public place that symbolize the freedom (birds) and peaceful (dove) time. The second photo represent the glum state of your mind after you was mugged. The world, suddenly, became dark and lone place because nobody did try to step up and did help you to defend against muggers. But there is light - hope that this is not the "end of the world"

Cheers.

The photographs are imagining that impression of that attack, a total coldness of brutality, a total lack of sympathy or concern for others.

 

The photographs work for me, mostly because I feel a brutally depicted.

 

A honesty.

Thanks, Allen. I appreciate hearing your take on the photos and also appreciate your kind words about the experience itself.

I think the diptych is the perfect way to present your experience.

 

I see the busy public place that symbolize the freedom (birds) and peaceful (dove) time. The second photo represent the glum state of your mind after you was mugged. The world, suddenly, became dark and lone place because nobody did try to step up and did help you to defend against muggers. But there is light - hope that this is not the "end of the world"

This is a lovely interpretation and I've been reworking the photos into a diptych, which I hope to post. Thanks. And thanks for the good wishes.

Thanks again to everyone who responded about the photo(s). I took a few days to work up a diptych, which feels like it's less of a scream, given a couple weeks' perspective on events. I liked working on them together. That gave me ideas on what I could get out of them and affected how I dealt with each one. As I was finalizing them, I found reversing their placement in the diptych was giving me something very different, and I liked aspects of each combination and kept going back and forth. As I made final adjustments, I did wind up with a preference for one combo. I had already decided I would ask for opinions, so I'm following this post with the two versions and if you wouldn't mind a further comment or two, I'd appreciate hearing if you prefer one to the other. Then I'll let you know how each combo feels different to me and if I've changed my mind again!

backstory plays well both ways but now more layered with a different interpretive take away from each. #1. Edited September 15, 2019 by inoneeye

Sorry to hear about your experience, it must be terrible to be treated this way by fellow human beings. Your pictures have real power. Being an optimist I prefer the first arrangement, moving to light, life, hope, the bird takes flight. All the best, Charles.

. . . I'd appreciate hearing if you prefer one to the other. . .

 

I'd prefer as much as humanly possible to remove the back-story and then to make a contrast and comparison of the two -

 

Irrespective of whether or not the silhouette frame is dawn or dusk - it occurs to me as depicting 'dawn'.

 

With this in mind, the first montage says “beginning . . . continuum”.

 

The second montage says “day’s (dead) end”.

 

Although my first interpretation aligned with D. H. Lawrence’s poem, which is certainly in a minor key, as a diptych I definitively prefer the first.

 

“beginning . . . continuum”, as it is set in major key and certainly has hope, and not the despair of the second.

 

WW

Sam, I've been away from PN for more than a week, and I just read about the horrible experience you had. I had a similar experience in my teens, but never during my so-called adulthood. In any case, hopefully you are recovered, although I wouldn't expect you ever to forget the incident.

 

In any case, I chose to advance almost to the end of the thread. I prefer the second diptych primarily due to the asymmetry of the roof beams. The overall effect seems more dramatic to me, though I'm not sure why.

backstory plays well both ways but now more layered with a different interpretive take away from each. #1.

Thanks. I had settled on #1 as well. Would be interested to hear what caused the layering for you and how you'd describe that, if you care to expound.

Sorry to hear about your experience, it must be terrible to be treated this way by fellow human beings. Your pictures have real power. Being an optimist I prefer the first arrangement, moving to light, life, hope, the bird takes flight. All the best, Charles.

Thanks for the kind words and for looking at the photos. I, too, see hope in the bird taking flight and I appreciate that takeaway.

I'd prefer as much as humanly possible to remove the back-story and then to make a contrast and comparison of the two -

The elusive unrung bell! :)

Irrespective of whether or not the silhouette frame is dawn or dusk - it occurs to me as depicting 'dawn'.

I appreciate this. Sometimes, the "reality" of what the photo is "of" may be less important than that reality's appearance to and effect on the imagination.

With this in mind, the first montage says “beginning . . . continuum”.

The second montage says “day’s (dead) end”.

This aligns with my own thoughts, perhaps not as much narratively as emotionally. I'll explain in response to ...

“beginning . . . continuum”, as it is set in major key and certainly has hope, and not the despair of the second.

While I, too, see hope in the flight of the pigeon, I also feel hope in the light of the darker image. The photo with the pigeons leaves me with some tension (perhaps in some sync with your notion of "continuum'). Though the darker image can convey dead or threatening, I also relate to its stillness. The pigeon photo, its points and birds, is more active. As the experience made me restless, I wanted to move from the more still to the more active. It's fascinating that what might be represented in the pigeon photo is both hope and anxiety, which ultimately I don't mind because few emotional experiences are clean or pure.

In any case, I chose to advance almost to the end of the thread. I prefer the second diptych primarily due to the asymmetry of the roof beams. The overall effect seems more dramatic to me, though I'm not sure why.

Thanks for your kind words. On a formal level, I preferred the first diptych because the butting architectures seemed to create a connection between the two photos. I sensed a geometric continuity. Now, looking at the second diptych with your comment in mind helps me see how the different sides of the building shown in each take on a certain strong architectural dialog. Less a matter of "connection" and maybe more of a counterpoint. The second diptych also appealed to me because it highlighted each photo as a separate entity a little more. As I said to William, though, and as William perceived, the narrative of the first diptych, "reading" left to right, seemed a better fit for me.

Thanks for your kind words. On a formal level, I preferred the first diptych because the butting architectures seemed to create a connection between the two photos. I sensed a geometric continuity. Now, looking at the second diptych with your comment in mind helps me see how the different sides of the building shown in each take on a certain strong architectural dialog. Less a matter of "connection" and maybe more of a counterpoint. The second diptych also appealed to me because it highlighted each photo as a separate entity a little more. As I said to William, though, and as William perceived, the narrative of the first diptych, "reading" left to right, seemed a better fit for me.

 

I appreciate your analysis, Sam. Ultimately it was to work for you.

while a diptych is more inherently 'layered', i find your examples are especially open to different interpretations.... dawn - dusk, landing - taking flight, beginning - end, dead - serene, continuum - change, ambiguous - clarity.

I empathize with the experience you related that inspired these photos. I carry my own scars from being blindsided in the street. The 1st diptych aligns with some of the feelings i have associated with my experiences. Rorschach test... I find that #1 reflects the feelings that have lingered after being mugged. I find it has a bit more tension. The darker image reads as dusk in the street to me. I find that is a "serene" time .. The lighter image that i am left with, viewing left to right, is a good representation of quiet apprehension. For me our pidgeon in flight is looking for a roost.

Edited September 20, 2019 by inoneeye

Hi Sam, I've been on vacation so I just saw this thread. I'm sorry that you had this shocking and brutal experience even though (thankfully) you weren't badly hurt. Good to hear that the Starbucks people were kind and helpful.

 

The dark, sharp, angular and spiked forms express 'brutality' well. I notice that the photo with the birds in the diptych is lighter than the original. Especially the sky. The brutal angles and spikes are still present but the image is softened somewhat by the (clearer) birds compared to the darker original. I hope that this might be symbolic in some way.

 

Best wishes for your recovery,

 

Mike

Looking at the 2 diptyches, I have a tough time saying which one I like better. Each plays well in its own way. It's really interesting how these portray different stories when juxtaposed against one another in varying order of appearance. Both are powerful images in their own right, In the 1st diptych I get a sense of moving from darkness to the light. Then again, in number 2, the bird on the wing seems to me to symbolize the freedom of moving away from the "dark tower", with the hulk of the building being further removed, and backlit so dramatically now feeling more distant.... like a memory that grows more indistinct over time.

 

I think it's really great tho, that you have used the medium of photography to process this event (the mugging). Kudos to you for being strong enough to bring us along on your journey.

while a diptych is more inherently 'layered', i find your examples are especially open to different interpretations.... dawn - dusk, landing - taking flight, beginning - end, dead - serene, continuum - change, ambiguous - clarity.

I empathize with the experience you related that inspired these photos. I carry my own scars from being blindsided in the street. The 1st diptych aligns with some of the feelings i have associated with my experiences. Rorschach test... I find that #1 reflects the feelings that have lingered after being mugged. I find it has a bit more tension. The darker image reads as dusk in the street to me. I find that is a "serene" time .. The lighter image that i am left with, viewing left to right, is a good representation of quiet apprehension. For me our pidgeon in flight is looking for a roost.

In, thanks for pointing out the counterpoints/contradictions in various ways of looking at each and at the two. This ambiguity makes sense in light the photos as I chose to take/make them and in light of how I felt from the experience. The serenity/tension read from left to right echoes how it all played out for me.

Hi Sam, I've been on vacation so I just saw this thread. I'm sorry that you had this shocking and brutal experience even though (thankfully) you weren't badly hurt. Good to hear that the Starbucks people were kind and helpful.

 

The dark, sharp, angular and spiked forms express 'brutality' well. I notice that the photo with the birds in the diptych is lighter than the original. Especially the sky. The brutal angles and spikes are still present but the image is softened somewhat by the (clearer) birds compared to the darker original. I hope that this might be symbolic in some way.

 

Best wishes for your recovery,

 

Mike

Mike, thanks for the kind words. The lighter touch on the photo with the birds probably does represent a softening, so I appreciate your pointing that out. For me, the goal in redoing each and creating a diptych was to not be as literal about my feelings as I was in the initial processing and to translate those feelings and the photos themselves into a bit more metaphorical/poetic expression.

Looking at the 2 diptyches, I have a tough time saying which one I like better. Each plays well in its own way. It's really interesting how these portray different stories when juxtaposed against one another in varying order of appearance. Both are powerful images in their own right, In the 1st diptych I get a sense of moving from darkness to the light. Then again, in number 2, the bird on the wing seems to me to symbolize the freedom of moving away from the "dark tower", with the hulk of the building being further removed, and backlit so dramatically now feeling more distant.... like a memory that grows more indistinct over time.

 

I think it's really great tho, that you have used the medium of photography to process this event (the mugging). Kudos to you for being strong enough to bring us along on your journey.

Ricochet, I sense that the move from dark to light is affecting a lot of people's viewing of the two together in that first diptych and appreciate hearing how it hits you. Though I was in tune with quiet/tension, I think yours is an important interpretation as well. Your thoughts on the second diptych also appeal to me, as I think you have a good read on that one.

My first thoughts on seeing the first two posts was this would turn into a pp- fest so I gave it a wide berth. Even after reading all the subsequent responses (in light of Sam’s explanation) I can’t not see the two photos as anything other than positive and the diptych doesn’t change that.

It's interesting that nothing changed for you in the reworking. Thanks for letting us know that. BTW, I don't do pp and don't encourage it as any sort of fest. For me, pp is a vital and living part of the process of expression and refinement, like a painter building up layers of paint, going over spots, allowing certain colors to show through others, making different sorts of brush strokes.