This was going to be a “departure” photo for a series or slide show. For now, I just want to talk about how different the two images are in this animation:
I removed the garbage bins in the second frame of the animation. The bins are the reality. The clone-stamped image (replacing the bins with green) makes the park look at least somewhat attractive if you don’t mind rusty bridges, that is.
Those plastic bins carry not only a utilitarian purpose, which isn’t necessarily bad – litter on the ground would be even more ugly – but also a semiotic message. They say, “You’re in a city and we rule this area. This is not nature but a closed-off, controlled, and manicured space that reflects 21st-century ideas about urban ‘nature’ and outdoor recreation.
If I seem overly critical here, check out this next sign. It’s so ‘Kubrick’ that over the years I’ve photographed it at different entrances to this park. It always stands out as unnatural to me and not really conducive to enjoying ‘nature.’
What do you think?
Earthpages.org 