 |
| Image Credit: Joshua Sortino |
There are few things that I would consider more iconic than the Golden Gate Bridge. It's recognizable for its architectural style, its color, and its location (the San Francisco Bay). You hardly have to see a small detail of it in order to recognize the familiar Art Deco shapes. For me, seeing this image evokes so much more than what can be seen. I know that below the typical bay fog is a bustling city filled with innumerable characters acting out their daily lives. Chinatown, Haight/Ashbury, Ghiradelli Square, Fishermans Wharf. But it's our own experience that colors in the parts unseen.
There's so much power in the ability to say so much with very little detail. When you know exactly where a scene is set, or exactly how a character is feeling, just by a seemingly insignificant element in a scene. These details in a scene are the meticulous design of many different people. The writer, the director, the costume designer, the prop designer, all of them play important parts. They tap into the shared experience and use it as their pallet with which to paint our perception.
The shared experience varies between groups, cultures, and locales, and especially generations. A detail may not have the same meaning for a grandparent as it does a grandchild. The above image may mean something completely different to you than it does to me. Is there something else that comes to mind for you seeing this image? Can you think of anything you've seen in a TV show or film that means something to you that it may not for someone else? Comment below and let me know.
I really love how you chose something so iconic to people who live in the US to talk about. Not one American should say they don't know what the Golden Gate Bridge is. To me it means a sense of wonder. I've never been to California, but I've always wanted to go. Whenever I see this in any show, movie, or just a picture I always am wishful that I can go there some day before I die.
ReplyDelete