Of Sums and Parts by Chipka
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“They worship nothing, therefore they are nothing. We will change that, you and I…”
—Akasha/Queen of the Damned (the cinematic version.)
It’s amazing what a fairly decent bad movie will make me think about. I’d gone—once—to see the cinematic interpretation of Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned and was inordinately pleased to see a leading-role vampire played by an African American actress. I’m always somewhat dismayed by the utter whiteness of every cool role in Hollywood. As Americans, we live in a multi-ethnic culture, and yet our cinematic entertainment is largely American White…especially in terms of stories that don’t refer to ethnicity at all. There are wonderful deviations, of course. Thusla Doom played by James Earl Jones (in a wig) and Akasha interpreted by Akasha are the only examples that spring immediately to mind: I know there are others. A few.
I bring all of this up, because of Akasha, played by Aliyah in her only foray into acting. Fatal plane crashes tend to cut careers short, and in terms of a budding actress with talent and good looks, fatal plane crashes are definitely things to be avoided. I can’t say that little Miss Aliyah could have gone on to become the next…well…the next singer/actress, but it would be interesting to see what else she might have appeared in, had she not died in Sarah Palin territory.
All of this is a round about way of getting to the point of what I was thinking as I went through files and found this picture. On the day that the Photograpy Ninjas converged on Chicago, I had to work—during the daytime part—and so I missed their initial arrival. Corey had other obligations as well, and so it wasn’t until later in the day that either of us could make our way downtown, and then North, to the Gold Coast. During our trip up, we passed the Chicago Theater, and I snapped a picture. I had zillions of pictures of that iconic landmark, but none minus the obvious sign. I wanted to see the Chicago Theater in a different way, and I was struck by the juxtaposition of the ornate theater itself, and the bland glass semi-transparency behind it. I thought of Akasha speaking to Lestat and saying the lines quoted above, and I wondered if our modern architecture reflects our spiritual state more accurately than we dare contemplate. I also wondered what it would have been like to see an actual movie at the Chicago Theater, back when it showed movies; I slipped into an alternate reality and smiled at the idea of Romeo and Juliet played by a multi-ethnic cast in which the Montagues and Capulets and other citizens of fair Verona reflected the demographic makeup of slightly rough-around-the-edges global community. Juliet played by Aliyah: I’d pay to see that. Romeo played by some cute Latino…I’d pay twice to see that, especially if he gets his shirt ripped open in a few shirt-ripping scenes. Tybald and Mercutio played by an East Indian and a Japanese guy respectively…Hmmm…Shakespeare might just start getting fun.
Can there be such a thing? Perhaps so, but sometimes, when I look at the glass and metal spires that dominate so much of global life, I think…perhaps not. Our focus isn’t on life and expressions of art and humanity. It’s on what those glass towers represent, and in their shadows, old theaters with beautiful, complex faces, share street-space with shadows, rats, and the occasional appreciative photographer. This isn’t so bad. There are challenges to the nothingness that dominates so much of contemporary life, and I suspect that somewhere among us, someone like Akasha is speaking to someone like Lestat, convincing him that yes, they can change things. When this happens, I only hope that really beautiful buildings and really cool people are left standing.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.
Comments (21)
KatesFriend
Revolutions rarely come without a cost, for both sides of the struggle. Though, I do love your idea for ethnically diverse Shakespeare. Especially since so many cultures embrace 'The Bard', we all see something in his works - including plagiarists. As for architecture, it may not be so fair to judge our buildings as lesser than those left from other ears. Sure we've produced a lot of junkie buildings, but so did the Victorians and the Georgians. The only difference is that our lousy buildings are still standing. What I want to know is which of our modern buildings will be cherished and still standing a hundred or two hundred years from now. The rare gems that are worth worship themselves. Still I'd love to have more buildings like the Chicago Theater as well.
JohnDelaquiox
This is a great capture and I agree whit what you are saying. I watch a lot of documentaries and the ones I like the most are the ones on the dark ages and renaissance because of the classic architecture. I am also disappointed with Hollywood and what they have done to properties like Avatar The Last Airbender.
efron_241
the architcts who put taht modern things behind the great architecture should be put in jail for at least 300 years
danapommet
A wonderful contrast between the ornate old theater and the clean & neat glass tower. Zooming is a must to appreciate the details above the arch. Great share Chip. Dana
MrsRatbag
Oh, this is lovely; the glass colours beside the ornate carving on the old building are mesmerizing. As far as "Queen", I thought that the casting was excellent, although Hollywood bollocksed-up the storyline as they always do. I have yet to find a movie that does justice to the book!
lwperkins
I love "the human touch" in older buildings--the decorations that are human-scale and obviously made by craftsmen. Even in buildings that are scaled up (as I remember the Chicago Tribune building to be) to be sort of temple-like, still have the input of an artist rather than a welder run by a robot.
kgb224
Outstanding capture my friend.
Sepiasiren
I love this facade--and the perspective is lovely
jocko500
this is a cool shot of this type of work
RodS
Such beautiful architecture - and sucha pity this kind of craftsmanship has seemingly become a thing of history... Thankfully, there are wonderful photos like this one to preserve them. Actually, there was a version of Romeo and Juliet in which both Romeo and Juliet were Latin.. It was called 'West Side Story.' :-D
beachzz
Old and new all together. Chicago is full of stuff like that. I just went to the movies today at one of those ginormous "mulitplexes. The seats are comfy, but it cost $20 to get in and popcorn and one soda were $12. You sit thru half an hour of commercials and previews, the sound blasts you out of your seat. I miss those old theaters with the hard seats, sticky floors and gorgeous interior details. I love that you caught this that great day--makes it an even better shot!!
durleybeachbum
"Shakespeare might just start getting fun." You've been so unlucky, Chip! Although I've sat through a few DIRE ones, of recent years most productions I've seen have been tremendous fun, or in the case of the real tragedies, incredibly gripping. And we've seen a Romeo and Juliet in which the two families were played by white v coloured; one recently on TV performed with a cast from two schools, one a Catholic church school and firmly middle class white, the other an inner city comperhensive with a very diverse ethnic mix: this was a HUGE success and I expect those children have formed lasting friendships thropugh the experience. But then I'm biased: the first play I was taken to see by school at 8 years old was Midsummer Night's Dream and I was hooked. We also have a company here in the south who are all male, Propeller. They are SUPERB Here is a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNcOrhfLuWk
lick.a.witch
I shall not comment on the ethnicity topic. What the English did to my country still causes me pause, so you can imagine how I feel about racism of any sort! And that is what it is. Pure and simple! It makes me angry - I mean really angry - so I think what I think and act in a goodly manner to all. As for architecture, we have some wonders going back hundreds of years. Those castles and houses deemed worthy of retaining had the English Heritage slapped on them - though the Cornish Stannery folk removed all of them in Cornwall - being as most were pre English! Rightly so, I say. All buildings here now, (barns included), over a certain age have a 'Listed Building' order on them. It means one can do absolutely nothing to the building, even when you own it, that is not in keeping with the original structure. The wood holding the window panes has to be exactly the same as the original - no matter how old that is. That sort of thing. Again, rightly so. No alteration can be done whatsoever without the express permission of the overseers and again, it has to follow the original plans. A friend of mine has an 800 year old cottage which is huge. It has secret passages and staircases that are so narrow it really is a trial to ascend. The walls are a metre in thickness....I shall not go on, but suffice it to say it would be a tragedy were this building to be lost. Hence the restrictions. Enough rambling. This building is ornately beautiful. It is wonderful that it is still standing. Fabulous shot. ^=^
KateBlack10
Beautiful shot Chip - having been to the Chicago Theater several times you have captured the essence of the structure in your shot. The juxtaposition between the theater and the modern looking building to it's right represents this gem in the midst of a very modern looking downtown. When I went to a concert about a decade ago, we got to talking to one of the old time ushers who had been doing it for 40 year or so. He remembered what it was like when it was truly a Balaban and Katz owned theater with a pit orchestra. He said at one time they used to have live acts much like vaudeville with live organ accompaniment. It really is a true gem of a building. They have done a great job of keeping it up but the cost of a ticket now is so much that not alot of people can enjoy the sheer history of being inside. Really a shame :( Agree totally with your narrative - you know my feelings on that one- really a lot of time wasted on our collective planet on divisive issues rather than on healing ones. I saw the Queen of the Damned too and didn't care for it. Nothing against Aliyah, I just didn't care for the version. It was a great book but the movie couldn't really compare. Great shot and narrative!
tommorules
I think nowadays what the architect often puts in, the accountant quickly takes out, leaving only function over form. The Theatre would have been designed with love and built with plenty of time, its counterpart probably took a tenth as long...
flavia49
wonderful shot!!
sandra46
Splendid image! Happy New Year!!!
helanker
Beautiful and very interesting shot. Severel smiling faces on the stucco :)
Orinoor
I love the grand old architecture. To me, the glass and steel structures going up now lack any real soul and if you're going to build something THAT big, it ought to have soul, lots of it! Wonderful image!
auntietk
Such glorious detail! (Is there such a thing as Nouveau Rococo?) I love the intricacy of the 1921 Chicago Theater against the sleek, reflective surface of the modern skyscraper. Fantastic image! The juxtapositioning of these two buildings is classic big city. I didn't see the movie, so I have no comment on the specifics, but I agree with you on the whole.
praep
I'm always impressed to see such great ornaments on buildings. Such houses they will not longer build today. Thats a pity.