temptation © Lilly Schwartz 2011
On Tuesday I travelled to England to hand in my MSc dissertation. And that’s what I did yesterday. I spent all morning changing things around, printing the 200 pages twice (300 pages in total, because I printed the code double-sided) and then I had to bind the two copies at the school office with a ring binding machine. It took me half an hour, because it was such a thick stack of paper! In the end I managed to get it all done and hand it in. And now, I’m free! And I even had a celebratory Bacardi and cranberry juice last night.
After handing in I walked around the Sussex uni campus and although it doesn’t seem like this, things do seem to change. I wanted to go to a shop in Bramber house and was heading right for the side door to the post office and the shop … and there was just a plain brick wall! Apparently they put a Co-op in the building instead of the grubby overpriced little shop that used to be there when I used to live on campus. And they got rid of the side entrance in the process. So after I bought myself a buy-1-get-1-free deal of gummibear packs – I have to admit that I’m totally addicted to those – I walked around taking pictures. Suddenly I started feeling melancholic since I realised that it’s probably going to be the last time that I’d take pictures there. As usual I failed at trying to find the “Boundary walk” which is supposed to be a path where you can walk all around campus. Instead I ended up near the cancer research buildings and I felt like I was sneaking around people’s backyards again. That seems to be one of my hobbies lately.
Yesterday’s picture was taken in Chichester 1 which is one of the informatics buildings. There are labs on the ground floor and also upstairs and in places it has a really sinister feel to it, especially late at night. However, informatics students basically live in the labs and sometimes you run into a girl at 1am brushing her teeth in the ladies bathroom which makes it less creepy. At night I probably wouldn’t be brave enough to turn of the light, but during the day I always felt the temptation of turning it off, just to see how dark it really would become. Let’s just say, I quickly turned it on again and ran for the hills, since it got so dark that I have to assume that I turned off the light in one of the research labs too … oops.
Where I live (Italy) it happens very oft that if a sign suggests not to do something most of people will do that, just to know why they are supposed not to do it ! A classic example is when if a sign says “do not open this door” . Why? What is there in that room ? It is better to open and check….
robert
exactly..and in the case o that photo..i think its better not to put that switch shit over there if you dont want to someone turn of that light..!!damn..anyway its a great picture
http://rodposse.com/
They’re asking for it, right? Thanks 🙂
I remember that the singer of a band once told the story that he is compelled by big red buttons that say “Emergency off” especially in studios or big venues. The light going out in a venue with several thousand people capacity, that sounds just like the perfect idea. And I also always feel compelled by signs that tell me what I shouldn’t do … Why not?
Hahaha… I love the title of this one! Judging from all the scratches on that switch plate you weren’t the first person to be tempted into turning off that light! I really like all the textures in this one (and the dramatic shadows)… the shallow depth of field works very well, too! Nice work!
🙂
Thank you! Indeed, I think many people have switched this light off. However, all my friends said they didn’t ever dare … strange that. Maybe it’s the English “It’s the law …” attitude.
Pushing on my computer monitor seems to do very little in the way of activating that switch, Ms. S…
you know…
just in case you were wondering.
🙂
Haha, lol! 😀 I’m so glad that at least once I turned that light off 😉
I love this one too!! Haha! I definitely want to flip that switch off! Perfect camera angle and composition… I like how the left side is a mere glimpse of a dark corner… makes you wonder why that light must stay on! Congrats again on everything. I love that this is the last photograph you took there… the light switch sign seems appropriate :). The world awaits! Great post 🙂
Thank you! Well, I’m not sure it was actually the very last picture I took, but it’s definitely a picture I have been wanting to take for ages, so that’s something ticked off the list before I left. I wonder whether I’ll ever go up the stairs next to the corridor again … Maybe when I’m graduating 🙂
I like this! Something a bit 1970’s science fiction about it 🙂
Oh, I love 1970’s science fiction, so that’s good 🙂
Once again, nice photo!
Thank you 🙂
very apt title!
Thanks 🙂 Thought it was the most fitting one!
Great shot, great story, and CONGRATULATIONS on finishing your dissertation!!! Excellent!
Thank you so much! I’m so very very glad it’s over now. It was a lot of work that one …
beautiful shot! keep snapping!
Thanks 🙂 ‘Snapping’ always let’s me think of crocodiles …
Great subject.
Thanks indeed!