Wall with Splotch by Chipka
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Description
There are rooms on the other side of this wall; those who occupy such rooms speak English, as is common in the city, but they speak Korean as well. They can be heard, on occasion: outside of their rooms. I cannot speak Korean, but I know a word or two. I cannot say that I know Korean manners, but I can look at the residents and employees with uses for the unseen things in this photograph, and I can tell that they are Korean. There’s something in the common facial shape, something in their bearing. Each nationality holds something in its common bearing: something passed on from mothers to offspring. It looks a particular way in Russian, in Korean, in African American, or what-have-you. These peculiar affectations are not quite as monolithic as any description of them might imply, but they come in handy if one must—for example—distinguish between a group of Koreans and a group of Mandarin Chinese (similar distinctions exist within national groups as well, and so there are ways to distinguish between Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, and other groups.) There are a number of ways to see distinctions between North Koreans and South Koreans, and indeed, rather glaring distinctions between African Americans from The South as opposed of those from The North. Though one cannot deduce actual ethnic traits from casual observation (ethnicity has to do more with the squishy, chemical bits of biology like blood types, chromosomal arrangements, and other physiological traits such as skin cell density, blood platelette surface makeup, and stuff like that), one may be able to determine where a particular group of people might happen to live. The elements of human behavior I often observe have more to do with fashion than anything else. It’s fairly amazing what mothers teach their children, and it’s already been proven that most “National Characteristics” are extensively determined by big groups of mothers, sitting around talking. It’s fairly amazing how that works!
I photographed this wall last summer, in Albany Park. As I rounded a corner—out of sight in this image—I came across a particular, somewhat sullen (rather gorgeous) resident of this building. He works (well, he argues with his boss) as a store within walking distance of this alley-facing wall. He smokes Marlboro Lights. He speaks English with something of a Midwestern American twang, and Korean in that rasping manner that identifies the male sex in some Asian languages (Japanese and Korean seem to possess sex-linked modes of speed and enunciation.) It’s an interesting thing to listen to.
I wasn’t thinking about any of those things when I took this picture. I was more interested in the remnants of a paintball on the wall. I liked the late-day position of the sun and its byplay with the bricks, and I liked the fact that it was a lot warmer in Chicago than it is now. I’d planned to post this image a lot earlier, but it languished in my files instead. I’ve decided to post it now.
As always, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’ve all had a great weekend and are on the verge of a great week!
Comments (20)
KatesFriend
It never stops amazing me how the human mind is determined to pick out the most obscure of anomalies. An impossibly bright blotch of cyan on a well worn and ruddy brown wall for example. And humans are experts at using this instinct to get the attention of others of our kind. Though I wonder if the one who fired the paint ball ever considered that his/her work would eventually be immortalized in this manner. Still the alien blotch makes the scene so perfect. I creates a triangle and kinship with the ever green weeds on the ground. Maybe a little bit of the sky has come to be one with them in a way only their park dwelling cousins get to experience on a regular basis.
treasureprints
That splash of blue, no matter how small on the wall, does dominate. Fascinating!:)
auntietk
Amazing, how one out-of-place thing grabs our attention, and we become obsessed. Without that splotch of paint, the composition is fabulous, a classic urban wall. With the paint, it's still fabulous, but it becomes first about the paint, and second about the classic urban wall. Fascinating!
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God Bless.
bmac62
You've posted an image to stir the imagination and memories. I wonder if this is something like a Rorschach Inkblot Test? What do I see? You mention Koreans that live on the otherside of this wall and I am transported back to visits I've made to Korea (work related). Seoul with its maddening traffic, Tongduchon with its myriad of little shops and dilapidated hotels...hotels meant for transients like me. Everything in Korea seems to have a shorter shelf life than I am used to. A new hotel one year goes down hill fast. But the people are delightful...many work seven days a week because that's what their parents did. Things are changing...Koreans as a culture have remained quite pure...time and the amazing success of South Korea may change that...but it won't be anytime soon. Love the wall and the paint blob...minimalistic and creative at the same time. Great job my friend.
Wolfenshire
This will seem silly but.. Places like this make me feel a little sad. Which is good.. art is suppose to incite an emotion. But yea, anyway. The reason is; this door was built for a purpose and once it served that purpose. I wonder how many people, conversations, and who knows what took place around that doorway. Maybe two buds sat on that loading dock waiting for the delivery truck to arrive, talking about their plans for the future, or about the girls they met last weekend. Maybe one is now gone and the other is a very old man, and this place and the friend he once knew here lives now only in his memory. But now it is boarded up and can no long serve the purpose it was created for.
durleybeachbum
Great meanderings, Chip, and a striking image.
wysiwig
The ability to determine a person's point of origin seems more highly developed in city dwellers. This would make sense since the city is usually more diverse than the rural areas. My mother grew up in the Bronz Borough of New York City during the 1930s and was an expert in this sort of analysis. I picked up a bit of it from her and have had observations similar to yours with Asian people. Nice bit of color here.
jayfar
Superbly seen and thanks for your visits to mine Chip.
Dreamingbee
so wonderful - like it much!
Faemike55
Is the the remnant of an invading alien armada (the Lilliputes of space) that misjudge their position in our space-time state and ended up splatting against this particular brick wall? we will never know Great capture Chip and interesting discussion
Meisiekind
Really striking - I MISS you!
jendellas
Why just one paintball I wonder???
helanker
Dont know how you do it, but spinning a, interesting story by looking at a wall, I think only you are able to. AMAZING! Excellent shot too. :)
flavia49
marvelous
sandra46
WONDERFUL IMAGE!
MrsRatbag
Maybe the wall was used by a firing squad to kill an alien creature who bled cyan... fascinating ruminations, Chip, as always. And a brilliant capture!
icerian
Walls are beautiful. Well seen!
nikolais
Your travelogs and visual coverages are always an amazing read, Chip. no sure if you've ever heard of Пётр Вайль, who wrote "Гений места" where he wrote about some major cities of the world and how they influenced and those writers, film directors, and composers, associated with them. He died in Prague, where he spent the last years of his life, at the age of 60.
anahata.c
Chip, this is just to tell you that, while I've stepped down from RR for a long while, what I mentioned to you still stands. You only need to tell me, whenever, at whatever point in the future, and I'll follow through. It may take a few weeks longer at one point over another, but it won't be longer than that. This image is stunning, as is your ever deeply observant narrative (about an area I knew well, some years back), and I could write a lot about it, but I can't now. But it's worthy of it, as is everything else here. Just know that what I wrote stands, it's not effected by my absence. I wish you great inspiration, as always...m