Remnant by Chipka
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Description
It’s no great secret that I’m quite interested in the smaller, overlooked things: poisonous berries creeping over from a neighbor’s hard; woodlice ambling through undergrowth, truck-yards, and other assorted, shady places; circuit-boards, yanked (or otherwise liberated) from dead computers. And so it comes as no surprise that I’d find diminutive remnants of things on the support struts of Chicago’s elevated train system.
I’d decided to walk to a slightly different el stop on my way home (to Berwyn) on the day that this particular photograph found its way into camera memory. The new year had already begun and the near Gold-Coast region of Chicago was strangely devoid of people. The galleries were open, as far as I could tell, as were various other establishments. The used bookstore was still closed; that wasn’t as big a deal as I wasn’t book shopping. I won’t be book shopping until later: William Gibson and Aleksandar Hemon both have new releases out, and I’ll need new books to christen the new bookshelf. Later. Not this month. It’s too cold and too dark to dawdle in just-north-of-downtown Chicago.
On a day that I was nearly dawdling, I came across a diminutive thing: a dead sticker, an advertisement for…well…an establishment of unknown pedigree. All that remains of the sticker is the right-side bit of it. The adhesive has cracked, and I’m surprised that this much of it has survived long enough for my camera to find it. I snapped three iterations of this image and this is the best of the three. It’s a marker of something that no longer exists, the marker of something in the 60608 postal region of the city. Over west: just a little bit.
Now, with Jack Nicholson and Shelly Duvall working their way through Stanley Kubrick’s chilly interpretation of a Stephen King novel, I’m posting the image…inordinately impressed that music by Penderecki is disguising the more cheesy bits of Kubrick’s oddly emotionless vision of something reputedly scary. (Admittedly, I don't respond well to horror, and Kubrick's interpretation of Stephen King's The Shining manages to become less than horrific. Oh well...at least the music is good, and there's an interesting scene starring hundreds of gallons of red water pretending to be blood.)
I have tons of catching up to do, and I plan to get it done as soon as possible, and until then, thank you for viewing, reading, and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great start to the new year.
Comments (15)
Faemike55
this image does suggest something sinister or even macabre! do we use a candle to get there and when we do, what will we find? you leave us with questions that only you and a bit of exploration can answer
MrsRatbag
It looks like a clue that Sherlock Holmes would find somewhat puzzling in its clarity; maybe a red herring to disguise the REAL clues...excellent find and shot!
KatesFriend
The Shining: I remember watching the "edited for television" version of it some years ago. I could not get passed the blood flooding out of the open elevators vision. Jinkies that was creepy. An interesting relic from a cities deregulated and industrial past no doubt. I admit there is a sense that this is an echo of the city's previous life before the rust set in - as it did even in places like Toronto. I expect you are right, the company may well be as broken up (ala Mitt Romney) as this overlooked piece of corporate vandalism. But it doesn't stop me from further investigation. Maybe this ad is for General Dentist Ltd, 1718 South Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608 - just a Google guess. Though the phone number appears to be wrong. Or perhaps, Designtech Engineering Company, 2001 South Blue Island Avenue Chicago, IL 60608. Their phone number is 312-243-4700 which matches up. No reference to "Ltd" but that part might have been dropped for the online listing. "Illinois 60608" sounds a bit like a not so successful teen drama revolving around the pretty and popular inmates of a local high school. With all the actors well into their thirties of coarse. They only made the pilot episode but the germ led to bigger and, well, let's just leave it at bigger things. Yes, I have been drinking #ivebeendrinking
KatesFriend
Looking a little closer it appears that neither company is responsible for this ad. The company name must end with a 'Y', eliminating General Dentist, and it looks as though the telephone exchange number must end with a '7' which rules out Designtech. #ivebeendrinking
netot
Excellent capture, Chip! I think not know the company that the ad relates is much better than knowing, precisely because the lack of knowledge is a big part of the charm of the picture. The imagination runs freely into the past, and we can think of several possible ways in which the history of this ad was developed, and can choose the ones you like best. Knowing the name of the company would give me facts, that happened and can no longer be changed. A script written by another, not me. I wish a great 2015 for you and yours!
Wolfenshire Online Now!
I like the image, lost and forgotten things are particularly appealing
photosynthesis
The aged crack patterns evoke lost manuscripts on fading parchment - very visually rich imagery. As a fan of both Stephen King & Stanley Kubrick, I found the creative intersection of their work in The Shining fascinating (even if King himself wasn't thrilled with what Kubrick did to his work). And for pure psychological horror, I found the moment when Shelly Duvall starts reading through page after page of the typewritten pages Jack has been working on to be very powerful...
durleybeachbum
Brilliant, Chip, I should cross the room to look at this photo for sure.
NefariousDrO
I'm fascinated by the textures of the paint, the cracks, and the underlying material below the paint. Really wonderful capture, Chip!
jendellas
10 Rillington Place came to mind :o))) Great capture. xx
helanker
I love cracks, so I love this shot alot. It has the most interesting cracks and the rusty spot without paint, looks like a sitting rabbit looking at the sticker-left-over. :-)
kgb224
Superb capture my friend. God bless.
auntietk
I'm SO glad to know I'm not the only one who went trolling through the internet trying to figure out what this was from! LOL! Ashland Ave, Cortland Ave ... and perhaps the company name ends with the slightly foreign (although somewhat common) "Pty, Ltd." Whatever it is, the hint is compelling. (And I HAVEN'T been drinking! LOL!) I love it when you post something that gets me so involved in the story. This is terrific!
pauldeleu
I find that beautiful!
aksirp
superb composition of picture, great in toning and something interesting, even hisorical ...
JuliSonne
There it is again ..... an almost forgotten relic. I love these little things that be easily overlooked. To me it is already gone either way. 1000x I walked by and one day I lose a piece of paper, pick it up and .... bam ... there is a reference to someone or something that existed for times. And it has my attention.