Jumbled Signs by Chipka
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Description
The Mood is on his side. Always. The Mood explains things; it gives orders/advice/quiet, whispering counsel. It is never intrusive, never domineering. The Mood, as he recognizes it, is the most intimate of his companions and the closest of his friends. The Mood is different things to different people, but always, it is beneficial in its selfless desire to guide. The Mood is a function of the City, a phenomenon born in the collective mind/brain complex of the City’s citizenry. The Mood is proof of evolution. The City, like its biological organisms has grown in complexity. It is not like cities in the past. It is intelligent.
The Mood tells him where to walk. It is cold with the promise of rain, and so the Mood—sensing his mood—guides him along Adams Street, where stone and glass and even the girders and scaffolds of architectural repair bring wordless and nostalgic comfort. He knows this street. He seldom visits it, and now—with so much certainty behind him, and its opposite in the days ahead—the Mood chooses to immerse him in a recollection of past successes. There has always been a jumble here—signs and advertisements, jostling for his attention. Restaurants announce themselves with flashing, red lights. Bars call to him, subtly, with wafts of music carried from behind closed doors. He has always enjoyed this sense of urban life: signs eclipsing signs, shifting in his perception as he walks toward them, below them, by them. And now, years after his first forays into the City’s downtown restaurants, he finds himself alone, swimming in the sea of memory, and longing for…
…something.
It is cloudy today the Mood says, wordlessly, but the clouds won’t stick around forever.
He senses this as his own thought and knows that in some way, it is. The Mood has simply read this in the convoluted meat of his brain and repeats it to him. It is a function of The Mood, after all, to encourage, to comfort, to make promises that this City or another City will keep.
***
I took this picture last week, and it is a companion to the post entitled “17.” I was drawn to the ornate, old-fashioned signs adorning the old Berghoff Restaurant, and the contrast of modern glass across the street. There’s something about Adams street that will always draw me. This draw is probably the most prosaic thing around, or it may be something truly significant. I don’t know, but it doesn’t really matter.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting.
Comments (36)
danapommet
I'm intosigns Chip and this one works very well for me. Great capture and share. Dana
MrsRatbag
What a wonderful shot, Chip! I love that old-style streetlamp standing between the modern skyscrapers and the old-style architecture of the Berghoff. Seems more than a bit symbolic... excellent work!
MrsLubner
Brings to mind the song...Signs... the signals are never clear and always confusing. one after another...do this, do that, come here, go there... Everyone wants a piece of my heart...oh, wait...that's another song altogether. LOL! Wonderful city view, as always.
potrimpo
Ever seen those silly signs that says Kids with gas eat for free?
popeslattz
Kids with gas have probably eaten enough already. Great shot and description of the Mood. cloudy here in Nj all day. A brief sprinkle. I rode my bike anyway...
CoreyBlack
Ah yes the Berghoff. Haven't eaten there in sometime but as I recall I quite enjoyed it. There is a city buzz and mood to all of Chicago , but's especially noticeable downtown. This was a great day's shooting despite the clouds and you captured this sign perfectly.
paulbosse
Excellent.
anaber
I enjoyed your previous 17th:-) and i understand here the meaning of "mood" you speak about...i thi k ! And if i am right, it seems to me,that the mood that you speak is about behaviour v/rotine v/ self protection too! I think that people need to know where they are nowadays...need references to go on to recognize themselves... The others that fight against rotine and fight each day to day for litle or big things...Oh..lala.what a ."big job to find themselves in the right place...or they might recognize where they really are...)~ Wonderful giant view of a city:)))
LovelyPoetess
My job occasionally takes me into the city, and I always want to not be the driver, I'd rather be a passenger because there are so many signs to see, and interesting people, and amazing architecture and.... (I could go on for quite some time) Wonderful image you've taken here. : )
Bothellite
I agree that this photograph is a joy to hang on, keeps on looking.
auntietk
Oooohh ... great concept! I like it a lot, and it fits with this image quite nicely. I can see the Mood as a centerpiece of a long novel. We watch as our characters accept, reject, compromise, justify, defend and question the Mood. Is it really just me thinking? Is it something larger? Political parties would rise up on either side, along with existentialism and apologists and ... oh my. You've really got my brain working! On the other hand ... maybe it's just the Mood. Love the shot, too! The pov down the side of the Berghoff is way cool.
lwperkins
I like the words as much as this beautifully-composed photo! The textures are amazing--hard and soft, round and square, stone and mist. Tucking this one to Favorites:)
beachzz
Oh, wow, I don't know where to begin. This is, well, moody, makes me feel as though I'm RIGHT there--I know I want to be. You get such amazing effects in your shots and they always give a sense of the now, of life, of color and detail.
KatesFriend
Carl Sagan once spoke of the human brain as much like an old sprawling city. Ultra modern and innovative buildings propped up and meshed with perfectly maintained ancient structures - so old no one knows exactly when they were built. Monstrous, cranky steam pipes doing the same job as sleek and more efficient natural gas and electricity. Basically, our brains work as a constant compromise between the exceedingly old and the revolutionary new. Both struggling to represent what we are and sometimes at war with each other for space. So yes, a city evolves organically just like carbon based life. But I like your introduction of the concept of mood into the dynamic of that brain. And that it can and does communicate with our own brains. Of coarse both minds would be so alien to each other that this communication could only be at the most basic level. I think you touched upon something very mysterious and compelling.
minos_6
this very much reminds me of some areas of London, where old meets new with often no apparent thought for aesthetics, and yet somehow it works. The yellow cones suggest some sort of danger zone on the older side, which adds interest to an already striking image. I enjoyed your depiction of the Mood, which fits perfectly with this capture.
whaleman
I like everything about this except the two bright pylons. I know why they're there but they bother me and I can't really say why. Otherwise there is great interest and feeling in this presentation!
kgb224
Superb capture and wonderful writing shared by you my friend.
durleybeachbum
This week I watched a documentary about three men who were 'sectioned' under the Mental Health act, one of whom was a delusional paranoid schizophrenic. So my reading of your narrative was coloured at first by that! I LOVE the solidity of the base of the lampost: a superb organic piece of design. I really like this pic.
Ilona-Krijgsman
wonderful story...and the name of that restaurant is so "DUTCH" Berghoff......love the mood......
ragouc
Very well done.
helanker
OHH! How I love this shot with its deep contrasts, its geometric shapes and nice colors. Light, signs, even reflections. You really made a beautiful image here. And the little story aroud it was cosy reading.
jmb007
bonne photo!!
jac204
Very nice.
JohnSmall
This is on Adams Street in Chicago, right? I've walked past that restaurant a hundred times. Nice shot!
costapanos
What an amazing narrative with an amazing capture!
flavia49
fantastic narrative! awesome picture!!
Sea_Dog
I'm always a big fan of your image/narrative creations and I have to say this is one of the best I can remember - The way you expression the character of the Mood and enfuse it with personality and intent and then couple it to this amazing image is masterful. Well done, chip.
sandra46
ANOTHER GREAT CAPTURE, AND I LOVE SIGNS, THEY OFTEN OFFER SOME VERY GOOD PHOTO OPS!
jocko500
mood to me it time to eat and if this is good food I be there too
sharky_
Superb POV and capture. Aloha