Friday, December 28, 2007
Building B4 (04290006)
On the campus maps, this building doesn't have any name besides B4. It's right across the green from my office, but I've no idea what goes on there.
Permalink / posted by and copyright of matt~ : 1:56 PM
Comments:
I had one of those Oh Wow moments on opening this.
Very simple which appeals to me, I love the 'pin' which I guess is an outside light. It creates a pivot upon which the image seems to hinge, like a weather vane.
The windows give an insight and an 'outsight' with the silhouettes of the trees.
I used to work in buildings called B4 and B3, a government establishment.
This does have a very clean design element to it, yet very abstract. I find it intreging, but it also harkens back to a 1950's design element as well, although I can't give you a good reference link. Maybe the architechure photographer Schulman (probably not spelled right either)?
I really like this -- the simple graphic design and a bit of the mystery of anonymous people and their lives.
It reminded me of the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie "Rear Window".
It reminds me of ships passing in the night - for real, not figuratively: great big container ships or tankers, brightly lit, heading for some unknown destination.
I think that it is a well-taken opportunity, treated well; particularly the black. The way the building is presented as a sort of barium-meal illustrated skeleton is quite fun but (despite the pivotal pin) maybe there is too much black and not enough detail - for instance, the staircase is almost the only object of note and size (and reminds me of the bridge of a ship). The lone figure doesn't quite attract enough attention at this scale.
First reaction was "Wow!" too. Second and further looks made me less enthusiastic. Now I am warming to it again.
It has two levels of appeal. The first is the bold composition and dramatic contrast. This works very well. The second is the details we see inside, including the people. For that it would, I think, deserve to be printed quite large, maybe around 12x18". But then maybe we might wish for more lit windows. But then maybe there were none other to be lit. The black area creates the mystery.
The building is a sort of prairie style inspired lab complex. That line of windows expands off frame right a long ways, and I wish I could have gotten more of them in frame. I've been thinking about cropping out some of that black space on top and bottom. Something like this
I'm presuming that the cropped version contains the whole of the building vertically; and, if it does, then I think that it does work better but not such that the original isn't good as well. But others may not agree.
The pin is great but like Colin I need some more people in the windows to really lift this one out. Given the stark contrast this may have added more mystery to the shot? The black works well in this one containing the light.
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Very simple which appeals to me, I love the 'pin' which I guess is an outside light. It creates a pivot upon which the image seems to hinge, like a weather vane.
The windows give an insight and an 'outsight' with the silhouettes of the trees.
I used to work in buildings called B4 and B3, a government establishment.
It reminded me of the classic Alfred Hitchcock movie "Rear Window".
I think that it is a well-taken opportunity, treated well; particularly the black. The way the building is presented as a sort of barium-meal illustrated skeleton is quite fun but (despite the pivotal pin) maybe there is too much black and not enough detail - for instance, the staircase is almost the only object of note and size (and reminds me of the bridge of a ship). The lone figure doesn't quite attract enough attention at this scale.
It has two levels of appeal. The first is the bold composition and dramatic contrast. This works very well. The second is the details we see inside, including the people. For that it would, I think, deserve to be printed quite large, maybe around 12x18". But then maybe we might wish for more lit windows. But then maybe there were none other to be lit. The black area creates the mystery.
