The False City by Chipka
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Description
At three in the morning, with rain on the screen, you hear tom-cats in the alley; they scream and yowl (you think) like infants. It is silent in your small and humid room; there is wind. The face of your bedside clock glares a baleful and glowering 3:01 into the darkness. At 3am, there are more births and deaths in the city. At 3am, anywhere on the planet, wo/men leave the world in silence, or come into it, screaming as they are pulled mercilessly from between their mothers’ legs. 3am, for this reason alone, is known—among those of poetic inclination—as The Midnight of the Soul. It is a potent time for you, as you sit in quiet contemplation of raindrops on the window.
***
I took this picture a few nights ago. It is little more than rain on Corey’s bedroom window, illuminated by the mercury vapor lights in the parking lot to a rest home. This stretch of Albany Park is quiet and residential. Boring in it’s absolute refusal to support all but the most interesting of establishments. In this part of the city, television defines culture, and so there aren’t coffee-houses or parks intended for adults. There is the river, and for those with inclinations different from mine (or Corey’s) there are churches…Pentacostal churches, Baptist churches, Catholic houses of worship, and storefront worship nodes with dead flies on windowsills, coated (like insectile mummies) in layers of dust.
It was late at night when I took this picture, but it was not 3am. It was more like 10:00pm: a lively time if network newscasts are any indication. I was fascinated by the manner in which Chicago (or any city) is reflected in the gleam of rain on a window, in the film of falling water, caught in bug-screens. I liked the scene, and so I captured it.
I cannot name the city implied in this photo, but I’m sure that it’s a noir-nightmare sort of a place, with cats yowling in alleys, and vast differences between those who have and those who have not. Or perhaps, the city is a different sort of a place: not a city at all, but instead a dark and gleaming place where none of the faces are those of strangers. Who knows? At any rate, here it is and I hope you enjoy it.
Comments (20)
Sepiasiren
that is amazing--a great capture and idea--again I envy your eye and perceptions...
eekdog
beautiful photo, the lighting on this really captures a special atmospher.
RodS
Nice one! At first glance, I thought it was the facade of a large office building. LOL! Excellent eye!
kgb224
Well spotted and captured my friend.
grafikeer
Very cool image...brings t mind a Lite-Brite set that kids play with...the grid pattern adds an artistic touch!
beachzz
There's a line in an old Creedence Clearwater song: 4 in the morning and the rain is pourin down For some reason, your foto made me think of it. Those late/early hours after the bars close and the mad scramble happens. You find yourself either with someone who matters not at all, or alone. Either way, you sit at the window, watching the rain. I don't know why your fotos do this to me, but so often they trigger some slightly related thought. I like that, and I like this foto--a lot!!!
helanker
Chip, you make one come into a certain mood with this story and the beautiful shot. A peaceful but also lonely feeling. I like it. This is so you, this shot and the story behind it. You are so good at this.
durleybeachbum
Brilliant narrative, and the perfect illustration!
lick.a.witch
This reminds me of a scene from Bladerunner. It has that sort of feel. It is fabulous! A perfect capture and narrative. ^=^
flavia49
wonderful!
MrsLubner
Marvelous shot with so many stories the mind can find in it.
sandra46
BEAUTIFUL! A GREAT NIGHT IMAGE, I LOVE IT!
SenZzo
Magnificent shot and moody words to accompany it. Preferably enjoyed at the time mentioned I guess. So I'll copy it just for that and put it on my desktop, if you don't mind.
MrsRatbag
Wonderful image; I love the layers of life reflected here...
auntietk
I saw office buildings at first glance, too. This is superb! The diffused, refracted, reflected light is amazing. There's a world here indeed, just waiting to be explored. A hive mind, perhaps? Perhaps a peaceful hive mind, just to offset the Borg. Resistance brings pain ... Letting go, you will be cradled. Just a thought ... :P Perhaps a side species in a larger tale, just to give a bit of depth.
gonedigital
Beautifully done! Very thought provoking image and a little melencoly...
minos_6
This looks like Gotham City in "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight". And it turns out to be a night view over a rest home car park from Corey's window. It takes quite a photographer to produce something so engaging from something so every-day. Congratulations!
praep
Really cool shot.
KateBlack10
Poetic picture and narrative
anahata.c
as you probably know (and I know corey knows), catching up is a piecemeal thing, and I wind up commenting on representative uploads over the days I'm back; and I want to say that these are only representative, not "my favorites," because in galleries like yours, there is nothing I'm not moved by & choosing is often as hard as omitting. I picked this because it's typical of your remarkable visual imagination, and of course, your poetic reflections on what your images bring to mind. Truly from the first glances, I thought Corey looked out on some new built-up section up north, because I couldn't imagine such a huge highrise district up in A.Park (where I've been many times in the past, including as a child), yet your picture looks like a rooftop capture of those new highrises. Then I looked a second time & realized I was looking at a screen with water droplets caught in the tiny squares. It's the kind of transformation you create w/ words and images all the time, and in several of your images as well. Great shot, Chip, and whatever you've done to perfect this (if you did any postwork at all), you made a brilliant image of several worlds collided into one image: a long deep high-rise vision, the interplay of urban lights at night, the sense of deep dark engulfing everything, and the interplay of water on a simple metal screen almost anywhere in the world. Brilliant play of different realities in a single image. And those green lights are just wonderful. As for your narrative, yes, that is the hour when cities transform and animals speak different languages, and a certain genius arises from the city...I'm sure Italo Calvino speaks to this somewhere, and I'm sure you know many other authors who do as well. I had a great uncle when I was a child who roamed these alleys for years because he was injured in WWI (that's one, not two, believe it or not!), because he drifted in & out of his normal identity and wandered much of his life. He spoke of the howling animals in the alleys and the mysterious lights, and the sense that a whole other universe descended into the city while many were sleeping. Your words reminded me of his; only, you are the poet for him and all of us. Beautiful upload, Chip, beautiful words, and it's very touching to know you're at Corey's as he heals, looking into the city in the middle of the night when he's no doubt sleeping deeply. A touching & magical upload made while caring for someone dear, and a fine photo to top it all off.