well, who are you then? © Lilly Schwartz 2012
I took this picture when I was just passing through my hometown these days and walked through the rather abandoned area again where I took one of my favourite pictures last year. Almost none of the buildings in the street is inhabited and there seems to be new graffiti and street art whenever I walk through there. Ok, that’s not very often to be honest, because I normally avoid my hometown like some sort of infectious disease, but at least once a year I end up there anyway.
I also have to say that my hometown is not that bad anymore. I didn’t particularly enjoy growing up there and I spent my teenage years thinking of ways to escape this place, but once you don’t have to walk home to a socialist concrete block surrounded by Russian mafia anymore it actually isn’t all that bad. You also don’t see hordes of skinheads anymore like in the 90’s, the unemployment rate has dropped below that of Leipzig and instead of closing schools down they have to build new kindergartens actually. Who would have thought, but I’m even planning to come there more often now that I only live 3 hours from there by train!
the funny thing about growing up someplace is that you see all the reasons why you should get away. The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. But once one has done a little traveling they find that it is the same all over with a different back drop and end up going home. Then home looks differently and you find all the good things about it and why you should live there and call it home. Most people follow this same pattern, perhaps baby birds needing to sprout wings and fly but come back home to set roots and become a parent and grow old. Well, your post was thought provoking and stirred a memory or too (grin)
Art~ (~_~)
Fabulous photo Lilly! The drawing in the window is like a ghost of who was once there
Nice to hear that things are turning around there…
and fantastic photograph, of course!
Hello, Lilly
I am nominating you for the Versatile Blogger Award.
Please follow my link: http://aliteraryartistsmusic.wordpress.com/
Congratulations 🙂
It’s good to know that things are changing for the better. Again, I love your street photography Lilly!
It’s a great photo. The colours, mostly towards brown and read, and the three dimensional light brings out the picture. All the different patterns and structures adds to the sensation of an abandon place. Of course the figure on the window is the icing on the cake. Finally I like that you made it into a completely symmetric composition – except for the figure on the window, which then becomes the necessary break. The symmetry enhances the feeling of static life and abandonment.
Great photo!
great photo – love the detail and composition