There Is No Sky, There Are No Birds by Chipka
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Warmth is carried on strange winds here; elder gods have no place within these—the strangest of confines—and so the arcane orders of life are known only by their absence.
There is traffic, and the smell of metal. Pigeons coo in the strut-worked lattice of overhead tracks. Trains thunder and spark errant bolts of lightening, where power (drawn from rails, pitted here and there with spots of corrosion) finds some circuit-connecting flaw and lights the hazed aethers of commerce and smog with strobes of pale, searing blue.
The sky thunders with traffic of another sort. It is far away: an abstraction here, where the roots of monstrous towers draw strange energies from the tortured earth. Ah, but perhaps earth and sky are equal in their abstract qualities. The sky, so far away bears so much in common to the earth now…and the earth is so very far away. It lies beneath shells of metal and concrete, concrete and litter not yet swept by the blue trucks that trundle in the shadows like mechanical and eyeless mites nosing after succulence and rot.
Cregier does not like this place. The sounds—he thinks—are like the pounding drive of a headache, the throb of a shattered tooth soon to grow an abscess, or something wordlessly worse.
“Oh,” says a woman behind him. “I really liked that movie. It was awesome. Simply awesome. I mean, it was really, extremely awesome.”
“Yes,” says her companion, another woman that Cregier judges as heavier by the timber of her voice. “I liked it too…it was awesome. I really think it was the awesomest one.” Here, her voice is snatched by the grumbling moan of some ill-maintained municipal vehicle. Fumes waft. Cregier’s nose wrinkles at the stink. And then, the woman continues, her voice emerging from the passing noise like kelp in some stagnate sea. “Totally awesome. It really was. I liked it when they kissed. It was so romantic and I think that romantic movies are awesome.”
And somewhere beneath the repetitious prattle, Cregier hears his own voice—a wordless impression sparked in the meat of his brain. It’s time to go. Now.
He hunches his shoulders, uncomfortable with the women behind him. Wind—though the sky is so obstructed here—tousles his hair into a chocolate-colored nimbus at the periphery of his sight. It is time, he thinks, for a haircut. Time, he thinks, for everything to change.
“But his movies are always awesome,” says the first woman.
“Yeah. I agree,” says her companion. “I really do think that I agree, because you’re right. His movies are always so awesome. And romantic too. I wonder if he’ll do another one?”
Yes. It is time to go.
Now.
****
This picture was taken earlier today. It was a brilliantly sunny day and I'd accompanied Corey downtown to help out with a few things in need of his attention. There was Arizona Iced Tea involved, there were cameras involved, and Cregier popped into mind, as I ambled along Wells Street (and a few others) counting the number of times I'd heard people using the words "awesome" and "portfolio." I suspect those words are new imports, possibly from the west, and Chicagoans (at least the ones I heard today) are inordinately fond of them.
As always, thank you for viewing and reading and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week.
Comments (28)
romanceworks
Interesting how the pastel colors give it a fantasy look, a softness in contrast to the steel, concrete, and glass. This revives the memory of being trapped within these skyscrapers and never actually seeing the sky. Living away from the city, up in the mountains, I see vast panoramas of sky and it often humbles me, and always pleases me. Sometimes the colors and clouds even inspire awe. Enjoyed your story, and your character, Creiger, and his response to the two women and their fixation with 'awesome'. It is, without question, one of the most overused words I've heard, on this site, and in real life. And I have to admit I am guilty of using it myself. CC
Roxam
this is jest like sooooooooooooooo awesum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
beachzz
Awesome, indeed!! Has an almost creepy quality to it, buildings, metal, bits of trees, kinda like the end of the world, the survivors haven't dared come out yet. The women? Well, of course, they survive, Valley girls always do!! Like, yeah, I know that, ya know???!!!
clbsmiley
Cool image and writing. Thanks for the effect.
bimm3d
gorgeous photo!!!!
mbz2662
Awesome! (lol) Yes it is a word used quite a bit here as well, and probably by me, not even realizing it. The only other word I can think of that is used more and quite irritatingly is LIKE.. Like Awesome ;) :)
jclP
nice shot
durleybeachbum
I just laughed till I cried, Chip, at your description of those women!! We don't use that word here in the UK, and often make fun of Americans who do, but you have done this perfectly. What a gift you've got! This is an engrossing narrative, and the photo is perfect for purpose. It is an enviroment which would see me withered within a week.
Rainbowgirl
This is awesome, I mean, really awesome! Yes, Chip's pics are always so awesome. I like it too... it is awesome. I really think it is the awesomest one. Time to go ;-)
auntietk
Mousson
Great shot!
photostar
Super architectural capture.
Meisiekind
Splendid and very strong compo in the image... and the writing - brilliant as always! :)
misha_d
great shot, I love the idea, and the abstract shapes are both very deliberate and random
MrsRatbag
Ooh, my geometry fetish is stirring here, I just love the lines and angles you've captured in this view. The story is a cautionary tale, in a way. And maybe he (you?) does need to move on, maybe back to the wilds of eastern Europe that beckon so appealingly...despite your photographic proof, I just don't see you in an American city, I'm afraid your muse will be smothered. Great work, Chip!
ladyraven23452
cool work.
anaber
NOOOOO!!Be tranquil!LOL! I will not say that!!BUT... i must say that your view is at the same time powerful and stressful and your title fits well with my thoughts...i must say yet that your photo is very beautiful too, with all the reflections and light you captured so well. BUT:she is very real and sometimes it hurts...and make us think if we must choose another way to find what we want and need. This is very intrincate...i find here many meanings... and YEAH: the challenge of the expression: "Yes. It is time to go.now." I´m impressed.Bravo.
Sea_Dog
Powerful comment on urban life. Commentary and image make a strong statement. I like the POV which gives us no ground or horizon to orient ourselves.
wingnut55
an outstanding urban canyon shot !
KatesFriend
Oh, 'awesome' is all pervasive in the North American lexicon. I have to catch myself from using it as much as others who tend to jib-jab. I remember watching The Daily Show one night during the 2006(?) World Cup and listing to the thoughts of one man from Ghana who spoke articulate of the strengths and weaknesses of his nation's team pitted against other advisories. By contrast, an American soccer enthusiast felt that the US's team was 'awesome!'. He used the word at least five times in one 'sentence'. Clever parallel between the cold and impersonal (perhaps waisting) city and the cookie-cutter thoughts of most of its inhabitants. Cregier must feel apart from all of this chatter, another facet of his isolation I expect.
anahata.c
your tale is wonderfully descriptive, and you capture the sense and feel of the great american highrise district brilliantly, the paradox of earth & sky being subsumed by the immensity of the skyscrapers—even though they are, at best, temporary residences between those two poles. As for the women crying "awesome," well the word's overused, I agree (which is, like, awesome dude), but I imagine every culture has its overused words. Maybe what's so overused about awesome is that it reflects a culture that wants everything big. If everything were truly awesome, most of us would be dead by now, because awe is an immense emotion. (Which is, like, awesome...really...) I know your heart & soul are headed for other places, as it should be; but lord, you sure have captured pieces of the American Metropolis for us. And Chip, I've rarely seen better. I can't begin to tell you how good this is. You've got no sky but you have sheets of light pouring down the back of the shot; you have masses of modern steel & glass next to the older styles with more stone & brick; the color contrasts are terrific; and the masses—ie, the rectangular masses of building facades, sides, etc—are some of the best I've seen in a high rise shot. A true abstract of a city street, and though I've walked that street countless times, it is truly new to me through this shot. And yes, the earth & sky are obliterated, and it's a masterful capture of the American urban canyon with all its contradictions. A masterful upload. I was gonna say awesome, but I think I already said it 10 times (which is, like, awesome...no really...)
elfin14doaks
Wow Chip This is like totally awesome! LOL I had to do it and Awesome has totally been around since the 80's. You didn't catch the Great Mystery Revealed- Duckie Just Duckie did you? It's a great shot and an awesome storyline you've played out.
moochagoo
Very strange picture, and excellent lighting
tamburro
Fantastic photo!!!! Excellent light!!!! +++5!!! Add my favs!!! Hugs. Orlando
elfin12u
If I were to say this was awesome, would that mean I was trite and shallow??? This is totally rad!!
elisheba
an amazing capture that could be pretty well be mistaken for a render because of its cristal clear quality and vivid colors and contrast. It looks like this place you captured comes directly from your imagination, I don't know how to express that better, in the sense that this capture, those buildings, those lights seem to be entirely your creation, and at the same time I know this place can be somewhere... always a pleasure to wander and wonder around your gallery and read the little stories you take time to build around each of your pictures -though I think it may be way more the contrary: first you write, then you eventually decide to create a visual atching your inspiration :)
nikolais
giftedly and right to the point!
CoreyBlack
The DOF is so deep that it produces an surreal flattening effect...it almost resembles some kind of wallpaper. I know this area, and how deep it actually is, but this photo really has a way of playing with perception and making me think that it's somewhere else. I love the absence of borders and margins, even though each building is distinct. Great work. And also, congratulations on LWITG. This is "totally awesome" by the way. (I couldn't resist!)