Urban Imperatives by Chipka
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Description
There are times when an image completely overrides my ability to say anything about it. This is one such picture. I made it a week ago, and found myself amazed at how Lakeview at night started to resemble the remastered, retouched version of George Lucas’ first real flim: THX-1138. In the digitally-remastered version of the film, there’s more to see, more jiggling, sparkly stuff in the background. There are apartment dwellings and digital trains, and bigger digital crowds.
As I walked with Corey, in search of food: snippets of that film started playing through my head, and I started looking for those odd little confession booths one can go to in order to…well…confess…to a picture of some guy and a recorded therapist’s voice that simply says: “Yes,” and “go on,” and “I think you’re really starting to make progress now,” before looping back to…“Yes…go on,” or maybe side-looping into the recording of that same “therapist” clearing his throat. I thought of that, because of the sound design of that movie—a distorted soundtrack featuring droning voices of authority informing the citizens of the unnamed, underground city to “be productive,” or to "say on budget." Of course, there were those who were not productive, and if they felt…ill-at-ease, all they had to do was open their medicine cabinet as an operator asked: “May I help you?”
THX 1138. For some reason, I never thought that Chicago’s famous Boy’s Town would actually start to look like that movie. Thank the Fates no one was wearing all white pajamas with complimentary white slippers. Or were they?
As I stood on the corner of Belmont and Halsted, I snapped quite a number of pictures. I found myself thinking more and more about futuristic, dystopian science fiction featuring autocratic/dictatorship societies. I thought of THX 1138 and the crass, improbable They Live…which was more an alien-zombie invasion flick…but they were totalitarian autocrats. I thought of the Federation as depicted in the BBC Classic: Blake’s 7, and I felt goosebumps crawling down my spine, especially after seeing a lit sign that just begged for a bit of “social commentary tweaking.” This image, is the result of that, and suffice it to say: I think I’m going to avoid the corner of Belmont and Halsted for a while. Things are starting to get a little creepy there. Thankfully, none of the people in this photo literally or metaphorically resemble the citizens of those fictional dystopias...those people were just out of camera range: changing the very mood of the streets just off of the right-side border of this shot. I felt that I should focus on a bit of the remaining Human element in the area.
I've tweaked only one thing in this picture. I think you can find it. Everything else is as my camera captured it, except for that re-sizing bit for posting here on Renderosity.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all on the verge of having a great weekend.
Comments (29)
jeanebean
I like this shot very much Chip. After living so long in a small town, there is something exciting and enlivening about a street with so many people present and so much traffic on the street. As always, your commentery is very interesting. Will put it in my favorites!
NightGallery
Love these night shots. Shows a world that seems to be rarely captured. Well done!
Sea_Dog
Great work - a perfect commentary on the urban environment.
jocko500
lot of cars on the street so it is busy around there. cool image here
blinkings
'Consume, conform and be happy'! It's so strange for me to see a person riding a bicycle without a helmet. Being on a bike or motorcycle without one is a hanging offense over here!
Orinoor
It's funny, I live on the edge of a city and confess I prefer the architecture over the masses of people, even the eclectic group populating my little corner. Give me mobs of pigeons, insane numbers of starlings and the crazy-yet-zen-master robins. Great photo and I love the editorial license you took with it.
potrimpo
Consume, conform and be happy. Why does that remind me of that one movie They Live?
CoreyBlack
LOVE THIS!! Twenty years ago the tweaking of that sign would have been obvious satire. Now, it's not far off something you can actually see. It casts a nicely ominous Big Brother vibe over the proceedings. The time of evening that you took this actually makes it look slightly more interesting than it actually is. Had you made it a few hours earlier it would have been endless repetitions of the Downtown Office Clone coming home from work. Even as is, you get a touch of the shopping mall sterility that now permeates this once wild area, even in the heart of Saturday night. Very nice work, and still slyly funny.
RodS
LOL! Love the sign! Cool photo, Chip! Sorry for the short comments - many problems here. Phone service out, internet access spotty at best. Hopefully will be fixed Sunday.
auntietk
There was a world in the 5th season of Andromeda where loudspeakers played messages over and over to the population: A friendly face is a familiar face and Mourn the disappeared and Isolation in strength. Let's see ... the title of that was "The Eschatology of our Present." God, I loved that episode. Thanks for that memory! :)
intro
Consume, Conform, and be happy..."Long Live Big Brother!"
bobrgallegos
Awesome nightshot and narrative!! Consume, Conform and be happy because Big brother is watching.
kgb224
Stunning capture my friend.
Crabbycabby
Great image, although I find the sign a bit authoritarian.
whaleman
The image says it all!
durleybeachbum
BRILLIANT! Nobody looks happy...
helanker
And be happy.... sounds like an old science fiction, I once saw. Dont remember which, but it didnt give me any happy feeling.... rater a spooky one. That I do remember. Maybe you saw the same and got the goosebumps from the feeling. Or was the 3 words yours? :))) Excellent shot.
KatesFriend
THX 1138, I haven't seen that film in a long time. Alas, the dystopian theme was far too common in entertainment when it came out. I had really had enough of all the doom, gloom and preachiness. I expect that is why Star Trek vaulted to the level of popularity it acquired after its cancellation. It was a rare example of a more hopeful (though still imperfect) future. Though now, based upon you analysis, I believe THX deserves another look. I like your take on this photo. The injection of genre propaganda is well placed atop an ATM sign. A contemporary instrument enabling the continual consumption which our authorities are always prescribing. "The medium is the message" -er QED.
marybelgium
excellent !
flavia49
superb image and wonderful sign!! great text!
Meisiekind
Wonderful everyday night seen made extra special by your narrative - as expected. You are the best Chip! :):)
MrsRatbag
LOL @ your artistic license...for this reason I hate going to malls and have never watched a "reality television" show. I do use ATMs, though, because they allow me to avoid going into banks with their "we'll give you money if you don't need it" vibe. Everything these days is about consuming, isn't it? Oooh, don't get me started! Suffice it to say, I love what you've done with this shot!
mgtcs
Loved both the snapshot and the association with the movie. The sign is really odd... My attention was caught, however, by the young lady on the left side with a coffee cup on her hand looking at the camera with a wide-eyed, startled, look. Or was she just displaying the look of a "well-adjusted citizen"?
treasureprints
I've seen both THX 1138 and They Live, and truly appreciate your take on this.
Osper
Nice take on the concept!!! It was a book first!
sandra46
AMAZING! REALLY OUTSTANDING CAPTURE! AND A VAGUE CREEP FORM AN ORWELLIAN MEMORY OF SIMILAR IMPERATIVES
jac204
Nice image and "tweak". I shall try to consume and conform more and perhaps be more happy.
praep
WOW. The suggestions on the light-panel are very strange - Consume, conform and be happy and the $-Signs below this. Remembers me on the Roger Waters Concert in Berlin "The Wall - 30 Years". They got signs there with "Trust us", "Believe!" and so on and in one scene the bombers came and drop their freight and there where Crosses, $-Signs, Mercedes-Stars, McD-Signs and Signs from the Oil-Barons of Shell and some more. Horrible parallels here. That is no longer a painting of a futuristic world of total mind-control. It shows the real world now. If you like to take a look: Rogers Concert - Bombers
beachzz
The sign is the first thing I saw--it just grabbed me and won't let go. City life--wow, did you ever NAIL it!!