Viewing the Textures of Change
Consider Two Windows in Cerrillos
Last Monday, when I photographed two living “ghost towns” on the Turquoise Trail— Golden and Cerrillos, New Mexico—I was drawn to two windows in the latter town.
Given my fascination with parallel human tendencies worldwide, I searched approximately 167,000 photos taken in North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia for equivalent examples of texture, materials, and architectural features—including confluences of weather damage, vegetation, art, and angles—and could not find a more dynamic pair.
I decided to limit this post to the dual portrait herein, allowing readers to see what they will see and consider the implications of these evolving mixtures.
While lacking the commercial display, haircut-in-process, pet-in-window, or signage that were my previous subject matter, I find these two photos more compelling than most.
I would argue that these windows draw in the onlooker and illustrate, at their core, the dynamic forces of change that affect a fragile daily life, where we often look for things to remain very much the same.
What do you see?
