Sunday, August 14, 2005

Might Be Nothing

B ut I'm going to call it "Compositional Remainders in Four Poles."  What is it?  The papery staplecake wrapping completely around the four telephone poles at the intersection of Westcott and Euclid.

These fading sprays of tacked paper are visible at the most desirable locations--public, visible, heavily trafficked.  Why aren't there any notices on these four poles today?  Who tears down the signs?  How many years of printed signs are layered here?

More we can say about it? Co-concocted at a busy streetcorner by staplers and notice-pullers (the removers of the "Car 4 Sale 145K runs great").  Made without purposeful making.  Residua (this, history?) and detritus; a dead-pulpy reunion: unreadable remainders of remainders of.... An archive of public writing. A shabby, encrusted blanket of desperation writ: lost dog, urgent sublet, have you seen this cat?, $$$ painting houses.

 
 

Might be nothing. But if it's a nothing, that won't explain why I can't stop looking at it every time I walk or drive by, why I can't stop feeling like it makes the intersection more intersected. (The image below, a close-up of the first pole.)

Posted by dmueller at August 14, 2005 10:00 PM to (Di)stances