Since I've alluded to things in this photo a couple of times, I thought it was about time I shared it. The first time I mentioned it was actually back at the end of April, which was about a month after I took this photo. That post focused on the idea of the abandoned and nature reclaiming the city landscape in tiny ways. At the time I knew the photo I was using wasn't a great example of this idea, since it was more a stray vine on a metal fence, but knew this was idea that I could easily come back to with this particular shot. It was kind of by accident that I found this sticker. I was supposed to meet a friend at her place and decided to take the back alley so that we could just meet up at her car. I really only had my camera that afternoon because I got bored about an hour before we had agreed to meet and figured wandering Shadyside looking for stickers was a better use of my time than waiting around. I happened to look back after turning down the alley and saw the sticker hidden among the dead vines. Of course I had to back track so that I could capture this great combination of sights, I mean who doesn't love a skull surrounded by a bit of death. But I do love the small way that this plant is reclaiming the telephone pole, I really don't think I would have noticed this sticker if it was later on in Spring.
Speaking of the skull, this is the sticker I was mentioning a couple of weeks ago when I was looking at a local tattoo parlor. During that particular post I had said that if there was one sticker you would have noticed before being corrupted by this blog, it would be the more common Jester's Court stickers. This skull can be found in every single neighborhood and I'm pretty sure it might be the most prolific sticker around the city. I actually found a couple more examples of it along my usual routes within the last week that I don't recall seeing before. Again I have to give this parlor credit, it is certainly a successful method of making sure that your name is getting out there. This sticker also really does bring tattoos to mind when you look at it, I could easily picture this image as a tattoo on a variety of people (although more likely on a biker than your typical college student). What I think I like the most about this photo is the way that it's kind of representative of tattoos in general. In one way you have how some people can't see past the negative to find the intrigue and beauty beneath. They get so distracted by the old connotations of tattoos that they miss the person and personality under the ink, like only focusing on the decrepit plant in the photo. Or it could be the person is hiding their insecurities and fears with their chosen tattoos, hoping to cover it like the plant would be overtaking the pole and sticker when it's alive. Making it so that you can only see the individual when you're really looking closely. On the flip side of this idea, tattoos could be the plant and nature in the image. Your chosen ink could be an attempt to reclaim your body, to truly express who you are. Like nature clinging onto the sides of a common and drab building, tattoos bring a bit of color and self-expression to the people who get them. It could also be a way to reclaim yourself after major damage or life-changing events. While I love cities, there are a pretty drastic change to the environment and area as they develop. So when nature comes back to claim it's original territory, to bring a bit of itself and beauty to the area, you can't help but appreciate it. For some people when they get tattooed they are looking to take the scars in their lives, whether they're physical or emotional, and cover them up with some ink looking to bring a bit themselves back. But no matter what your opinion about tattoos is, I think this photo really works as a way of analyzing your feelings towards them.
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Maggie Ondrey
An amateur photographer and writer capturing a small portion of the city. Archives
August 2017
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