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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery One: Travel Abstractions -- Unlimited Thought > Rainy Day, Singapore, 2007
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30-AUG-2007

Rainy Day, Singapore, 2007

It rains a lot in Singapore. Ninety-five inches a year. So naturally, we had our share of rain during our two-day shoot there with a group of pbase photographers from three countries. Our delightful host, Ai Li, http://www.pbase.com/limaili ) suggested that we wait it out in the city’s library. As it turned out, the rainstorm led to one of my favorite images of the visit, made through that library’s very wet window. I used the raindrops and deeply shadowed landscape to abstract the scene, creating an incongruous contrast. The subject, the city’s new Ferris Wheel (a version of the famous London “Eye”) should symbolize fun, yet the image seems to weep. The image is essentially monochromatic, which is a form of abstraction in itself. The only color is the greenish tint to the sky and the flowing headlights of the cars.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/400s f/6.3 at 16.9mm iso100 full exif

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Phil Douglis03-Feb-2009 17:27
Asking "what if' is not a bad habit, Shawn. It is characteristic of an open mind. There may often be many images residing within another. It is not a matter of right or wrong, good or bad, better or worse. It is a matter of different images saying different things. If we crop out the sky here, we are left with an image of wet darkness surrounding several softly focused cars moving along a rain slicked street. That would be an image unto itself that might well cause the mind to wonder, imagine, think, and feel. On the other hand, seeing that dark scene as a platform for a huge Ferris Wheel creates an entirely different challenge for the imagination. The Wheel is incongruously juxtaposed upon the darkness that envelopes the city street, creating, as Patricia Lay-Dorsey notes in her comment, a scene spanning two centuries of time.
Guest 03-Feb-2009 16:36
Much like the bicycle image I like this one as well. The geometric shape of the ferris wheel breaks up what would otherwise be a bland sky in this image as shot. I like the rain and the depth of field. I wonder if the lower section of this image is an image in itself if the sky were to be cropped out. I am always forced to ask myself "what if?". I would say it is a bad habbit of mine. Great image.
Phil Douglis20-Jan-2008 21:55
Your words help bring this image to life, Barry. Thank you so much for these observations. You are right -- the raindrops force the viewer to look beyond and see the completed Ferris Wheel in their own imaginations. Actually, it is finally opening for business this month -- when I made this image it was still under construction. But the degree of abstraction created by the wet window and resulting soft focus (very much like the man and bicycle athttp://www.pbase.com/pnd1/image/91823046 ) abstracts the detail so that your imagination is spurred into high gear here. And yes, the weather will clear. That is what happens in Singapore. It rains like hell and a moment later the sun is shining brightly.
Barry S Moore20-Jan-2008 10:31
Wonderful capture and framing. The building on the left ties the bright sky to the dark wet road. There is just enough detail to make out the ferris wheel - we have to fill in the almost missing spokes. I sense the long wait for the weather to clear and the potential for fun on the ferris wheel at the end of that long wet road. Fine weather appears to on the way.
Phil Douglis28-Sep-2007 01:37
Thanks, Patricia, for the reference to Ryder -- one of my favorite American artists, along with Edward Hopper. I am honored that you think of this image in light of his vision. As I mentioned, I owe this shot to Ai Li, who took us into the Singapore Library when it began to rain. We encountered rain several times during this trip, and each time it led us to substantive imagery. Thanks again, Patricia, for this comment.
Patricia Lay-Dorsey28-Sep-2007 01:25
Oh, this is an exceptional photo! I think of the American artist Albert Ryder when I see this. Moody, somewhat melancholic, mysterious, monochromatic, filled with stories we long to know, but never can. The raindrops like tears on the window of our soul. It all adds up to what art does at its best: evoke not describe. And the incongruity of a ferris wheel as its backdrop. I am at a loss of words to express what this image touches in me. It goes too deep for words. There is a timelessness here. It could as easily be showing a scene from the 19th century as the 21st. Stunning, Phil. Absolutely stunning.
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