Osaka Financial district

Luvin the surreality; the foreground man could be placed there from another dimension, but maybe he's a figment also. But it's fitting as finance itself is a constructed reality? It's always a treat when you play with us.

Thanks, Wayne. I quite like this picture and was a little disappointed with the response. C'est la vie. (I accidentally typed c'est la view. I guess that works as well). You're right about the financial system as a constructed reality. I was actually stopped twice by guards and warned not to take pictures of the buildings. I guess they thought I was planning a heist. The whole thing is Theater of the Absurd which we continue to insist is the pinnacle of reason.

Hi Jack,

 

this photo shows a kind of 'unworldly', yet very harsh and unavoidable reality. I like wthat Wayne says about the financial world being a 'constructed reality'; it's one though that makes thousands of lives fall apart daily by moving factories to third world countries, under the guise of bringing jobs and prosperity, but in reality wrecking the lives of people by making them lose their jobs and on the other side condoning poor working and living conditions in the country production is moved to. The worst thing about it is that lots of young people want to be part of this, because there is money to be made.

The photo, in all of its compositional greatness, shows people who are part of this cold, concrete construction. Very well done, Jack. I don't know if you share my opinion on the implied meaning of the image, but that's how it speaks to me. Kinsd regards, Vincent

Thank you very much, Vincent for your incisive comments. As you have probably guessed by now, I quite agree with you. In my 76th year I have just about given up trying to make sense of societies that are based on, power materialism and greed. There is a sort of mass hypnotism taking place that is warping reality in disturbing ways, twisting peoples' souls into something like the ravenous, tortured images you find in a Francis Bacon painting. While I was photographing here, on a public street, I was warned by guards not once but twice to not take pictures of the building. This is here in Japan and I know it's worse in America. The greed of these powerful financial entities is matched only by their fear.

Beatiful dynamic black-and-white!

WOW Jack: This image is so "rich" and full of elements. You could dissect each one of them and build a whole story about each other. Much as the strange, outrageously imaginative, multidimentional book by a Japanese writer who was in the NYT's Best Seller list for a long time , "IQ84" by Haruki Murakami (with translation to English (which you probably don't need). This so real, and every-day situation that exists in Reality, seems like you "built" or composed the image. By no means am I saying nor even daring to imply this is so. On the contrary: The comment stems from the fact that each subject is so clearly separate and estranged from the other many elements (including the buildings, of course....if not, why then the title?). I came to this conclusion after relishing for a while on your very personal and challenging photograph and starting from the "XO". Complex as usual. Sharpness and contrast perfection. I feel regaled, and thank you for it.

 

P.S. I have to confess that I feel the number of members/subscribers to PN is diminishing. I can gauge it by the fewer and fewer posts each weak, i.e. when I go to "Explore"/ "Trending" y the menu bar, I have seen the same photos staying there for several WEEKS, when not so long ago, they were very activdely changing, dynamic and captivating. I feel disappointed, but life has taught me that no matter you wish something to stay the same, is plainly impossible.

 

DG

for the record: my words "constructed reality" did NOT constitute a value judgement

Nice play of lights and shadows and richness of tones, by me correctly composed! I also like the predominance of rectangular forms! PDE