Juxtaposition

Light Rail Platform

Juxtaposition describes my core motivation in recording mobile iPhone images during my commute to and from a consulting gig in the North Loop.

Juxtaposition is a noun. My preferred definition is,

noun. the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

For me the attention grabbing draw frequently involves the contrasting effect of more than two things.The things I see include patterns, lines, light, and frequently something unusual in the ordinary.

My commute is consciously more stimulating when I'm open to the contrasting effect of a chance occurrence.

I don't place the scenes. I adjust my frame of reference. I change the position of my camera frame to discover some contrasting effect that resonates with me.

Whether or not we're consciously aware of it, our minds curate what we see.

Ford Center Lobby / Historic Exterior

Most often the juxtaposition that draws me in for closer consideration are contrasting spatial elements. On rare occasions, the juxtaposition is both spatial and temporal as with the historic photograph of the street car era Ford Center exterior juxtaposed within a view of the present day lobby (above).

Advertising Wrap on Light Rail Train

Even more rare is the juxtaposition of the language we use in naming and distinguishing objects, like the car on the train car seen in the advertising wrap covering a train car (above).

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