Monday, March 12, 2007
Two Dustbins
Comments:
This seems to be a picture about geometry and tonality. The tonality is just about flawless, but I want you to take a . half step to right to square up the step along the bottom of the frame.
Without that half step, I'm tempted to consider this a lesson in acceptance. As such, it works on a completely different level. The Open sign becomes part of the rhythm instead of just another piece of geometry.
The wheely bin meets segregation?
Maybe, the bin on the left is the 11pm to 11am bin at this mystery day and night establishment.
They've got wheels. Do they count as cars?
English sign. Japanese location.
Loads of stuff here. Even that stained concrete step manages to look interesting.
Need I say 'I like it'?
I too have been thinking: why a sign in English? I don't find that connection particularly striking. If one deconstructs the picture, what would it be without the bins? The answer being quite a lot of white expanse with geometric shapes, a totally anonymous (apart from some small part of England lying there) corner of a city. Texture on the steps? Fine, but not that noteworthy. So it comes back to the bins. Are bins attractive? Not really; like cars they are an unaesthetic but functional tool in the modern world. The closest I can come to enthusing about them is that they could be said to represent the yin and the yang. More pragmatically, one is probably yellow and the other green or blue for use to separate different types of rubbish. Like it? After an explanation like that I'm not sure that the word is relevant!
I've been avoiding comment on this long enough -- but I still don't have much to say. It is certainly not a photo I would ever think to take. My prejudice for some form of life in a photo is perhaps keeping me from finding it interesting. So clean, not even flies or a suggestion of a gnat, here.
The sign was all that made the picture jump out at me. Going back the following week I noticed that a second sign had appeared stating a luch hour. I would not have taken the picture if both signs had been there upon my first visit.
Rubbish is a difficult thing in Tokyo. You need to split burnables from combustibles from non-burnables from re-cylables. You then need to remember which day is which for collection. They also force you to put all your garbage in clear bin lines so the rubbish men can 'check' them before they collect them. Any innapropriate content is highlighted and the whole bag remains behind. Nothing like shaming the owner I suppose. The crows also like the clear bags as they can pretty much pick and choose which ones to attack on collection day.
Thanks for the feedback.
Dealing with rubbish in Japan seems similar to the efficiency and responsibility apparent in Germany: a far cry from the UK!
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Without that half step, I'm tempted to consider this a lesson in acceptance. As such, it works on a completely different level. The Open sign becomes part of the rhythm instead of just another piece of geometry.
Maybe, the bin on the left is the 11pm to 11am bin at this mystery day and night establishment.
They've got wheels. Do they count as cars?
English sign. Japanese location.
Loads of stuff here. Even that stained concrete step manages to look interesting.
Need I say 'I like it'?
Rubbish is a difficult thing in Tokyo. You need to split burnables from combustibles from non-burnables from re-cylables. You then need to remember which day is which for collection. They also force you to put all your garbage in clear bin lines so the rubbish men can 'check' them before they collect them. Any innapropriate content is highlighted and the whole bag remains behind. Nothing like shaming the owner I suppose. The crows also like the clear bags as they can pretty much pick and choose which ones to attack on collection day.
Thanks for the feedback.