Apparatus by Chipka
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Description
As is my habit, I spent the weekend making pictures with Corey. On Valentine's Day, we ambled along Lawrence Avenue, in search of a river, a bridge, and a pumping station. We found all three, and with the bonus of a snow-bound park full of City of Chicago drop-shafts intended to feed the water-reclamation/drainage system that stretches like a maze beneath the city. The drop-shafts are intimidating things: enormous circular grates set into concrete. You're encouraged not to walk on the grates themselves, and a quick glance down reveals why. Drop-shafts go a long way down; they're like bottomless pits. If you drop a pebble into one, you won't hear it hit the bottom.
I wasn't interested in the grate-covered pits, however; a pumping station stood across a wider stretch of the Chicago River that I would have seen closer to Cores home. I was intrigued by the building, and I grabbed as many captures of it as I could. After that, I approached another building on Lawrence Avenue proper. It was unspectacular, but it possessed a few strange details: mysterious gas pipes and meters, sprinkler system heads and such. As I stepped through slush and puddles, I noticed a sprinkler system head poking out towards the sidewalk. It was a salt-encrusted thing, seductive in its textures and colors, and well, being into textures and colors, I captured it.
It was a good day. Sunny, if you looked in the right direction, and so the photographs of that day gained something from the light. The sprinkler-plug was in the shade, however; but that's strangely fitting. It looked to be a rude and brooding thing, a odd sort of combat (or mating) apparatus. Indeed, as I snapped pictures of it, I wondered if the building to which it belonged was female, and if this was a part of its reproductive system. I wondered if--like insects--the building would extrude an ovapositor through one of the openings of the sprinkler-system head, and insert her eggs in the soft soil beneath Lawrence Avenue. It was fun to imagine buildings engaged in mating duels and the females injecting eggs underground. That would have explained the small shacks I saw scattered in various areas. Infant buildings. Hatchlings. And even if that's not the case, I like the image and the city would be far more interesting with buildings laying eggs all over the place.
More pictures from that day will make its way into my gallery, and of course, until then...enjoy this salt-stained thing. As always, thank you for viewing, reading and commenting, and I hope you're all having a great week.
**Plese Zoom. This image is all about the details**
Comments (19)
alessimarco
An interesting apparatus and an intriguing capture! Nice work!
bmac62
If buildings did that Chip, my brother (by marriage) Dave wouldn't have much business as an architect. And think of all the out of work city planning board members, zoning board members, OSHA inspectors, building inspectors, and hard hats. Hmmmmm, maybe that wouldn't be so bad afterall:) As for this urban fire hydrant...cool pic raised to a new level by your excellent post work.
Foto-Arte
Great post work and narrative!
dbrv6
The white is salt? That is a cool affect and result adding interest.
watapki66
Great shot!
MrsRatbag
A wonderful find, and a beautiful capture!
auntietk
We have these on the sides of some of our buildings, too. I believe they're fire hose connections ... fire hydrants, in other words. Did you see any really long-legged dogs around there? It seems likely ... :P LOL!
helanker
That is indeed a super shot and it is so clear with the salt and all. I like the fact, that you guys make a plan for your walks, on what to look for and capture with youe cameras. What a great idea that is. Thanks for the fine story too.
durleybeachbum
Thankyou for giving me such a good giggle with my coffee, Chip! Your fertile mind has given my imagination a really good helping of compost this morning..marvellous! the picture is superb too!
zulaan
Great textures and postwork ! Reminds me Jules Verne's universe... :)
flavia49
magnificent work!!
SIGMAWORLD
Excellent!
sandra46
EXCELLENT SUPERB IMAGE !!!
blondeblurr
You know that combat apparatus being male was not such a far-fetched idea, your thoughts may have taken a side step, because it was Valentines Day ? Apropos, love is in the air...and the buildings being female, I like that; most woman are very strong and sturdy, like matriarchs residing and ruling the roost, but little shacks as off-springs ? the mind boggles, you may never see them to grow up! That makes me think of Yurts, I really love them - (or Mongolian tents, not an exact description, but a loose term for them), a friend has one and I love it; the good thing about them is, you can take all the panels apart and move them to, where ever you want, in no time at all or add extras on,connected by little walk ways. Actually, come to think of it, it's almost like a bee-hive construction. A very revealing photo...he-he BB p.s. and even Bill reveals all.
kgb224
Superb capture my friend.
beachzz
I think I know exactly what came of this union between the buildings---those odd little huts in Corey's bridge shot!! And you guys thought i wasn't paying attention!!
myrrhluz
I love this image! Love the lines of the brick going down to the cracks in the pavement, the shine and sparkle and grit and grime of the mating apparatus and the snaky line of white across its surface. Then I move on to your great writing. The drop-shafts remind me of a book I have called "Beneath the Metropolis" (Bought one of those times when I was dangerously killing time in a Borders and wandered over to the Architecture section.) It is about the layers of man made structures beneath 12 cities, including Chicago and Moscow, though, sadly, not Prague. It is a fascinating book. I love the idea of buildings begetting all over the place! Wonderful image both in picture and words!
KatesFriend
What a brilliant concept, buildings undergoing natural reproduction. Though coral might be a more apt parallel than insects. Animal in biology but seemingly plant-like or even living stone in some cases. And of coarse the buildings would quietly battle it out for space and reproductive rights. Practicality verses style would be the age old struggle on this reef - though humans would call it a street.
Alex_Antonov
Amazing!