All the doors…

Doors lead to unknown spaces. Like cats, I think we’re unable to NOT be curious what’s behind. Here are some doors I liked enough to take a picture of. I’ve arranged them vaguely into groups of similarity but they represent very different kinds of spaces.

All the Vacancies

Empty storefronts and work spaces are a ubiquitous part of shopping districts everywhere. Each empty space is compelling to me because it represents a change of plans; a goal that wasn’t met (or was met, perhaps), a failure, an exercise in missed projections. Whatever the case, what’s left behind is both a shadow of the past and an opportunity for the future. Here are photos of some of the spaces I’ve collected over the years.

All the Facades

A building’s facade is its public expression just like our faces are what our communities associate with our identities and personas. What a building’s facade says, intentional or not, seems like reasonable take on the space’s function and character.

The Mystery Stairs

Stairs are great subjects because people can quickly relate to their scale. Stairs represent a kind of promise… they lead to an unseen destination. They can produce a sense of wonder and inspire curiosity.

2-Point Perspective

Two-point perspective is line an argument between two vanishing points. The contest is dynamic and creates tension. Sometimes the two points are distant, as these images suggest…

…and sometimes they seem to be in some kind of internal conflict, like the following images.

1-Point Perspective

I’m comforted by certainty and I like knowing that some things are true. One-point perspective is the graphic manifestation of this outlook; it represents a powerful visual gravity… an inescapable composition.

The fact that two opposing viewpoints might be simultaneously true annoys me. Maybe I’m risk-averse or fear confrontation… I might prefer to quietly judge rather than interrogate.

Here are some images that express this powerful framing. I find these images to be especially interesting from a compositional standpoint; irresistible and captivating.

The Toilet Papers

For nearly a decade I worked for a charitable organization in the skateboarding industry. Our office was shared with other enterprises in the skateboarding space. The building was filled with skateboarders, mostly young men, and their friends who were mostly skateboarders (and also young men).

One outcome of having a building full of skateboarding dudes was that the toilet paper rarely got replaced when it ran out. This was all the invitation for creative mischief that I needed.