Our turbulent present has brought dissolution and collapse. Traditions are fading. The workplace has dramatically changed. Privacy issues are manifest. Sexual orientations are smashing old taboos. But where do we find security? We need some measure of stability, structures that may no longer be “futuristic or revolutionary,” yet still embody a “can do” spirit–hallmarks of conquering the impossible in Space. New York City, though humbled by the transformations wrought by the Pandemic, flaunts many of these arresting pillars in the sky. They soar upwards and take us with them.
Shadows of Disbelief
The storm clouds linger, loom over our future.They brought dislocations in 2020, upset the workplace and led to a new style of normal. Zoom-Zoom. Massive buildings became ghosts. Monuments to the hubris that we could keep on building higher and higher. Will normality ever be restored? Will the grayness dissipate, replaced by new hope? Stay tuned.
Discovering Harmony
Amid chaos, the uncertainty of far-reaching changes, symmetry coupled with geometric order offer serenity. Here all is steady, a flight towards harmony. Nothing too provocative, or bold to hint of risk, there is comfort, a sense of order. We can gaze at glass, feel at peace in the reflections. Instead of a heightened vertigo of discord, there is predictability. The expected, a reassuring, top to bottom calm.
The Mighty One
Defiant. Thrusting mightily. In unadorned, formulaic clarity there is the strength to dwarf all counterparts, to rise above obstructive points of view. Is that a lesson for all of us, to be firm, believe, and to stand tall? We must be steeled to triumph over the confusing clamor, the always-looming dark clouds. So let your imagination wander. There’s inspiration high above.
A Diverse Palette
We leave the material world, and ascend higher and higher, towards the abstract amid threatening wind currents. The further the ascent, we are more affirmed, overcoming juxtapositions that become points of discovery and liberation. There is no single, one concrete perspective. The rippling blues and whites are instead a sea of possibilities, of ambiguities, much like life, and that is its charm.
Enlightenment
Into the looking glass, a whiter shade of blue, what will we find in this prism offering so many contrasts of light? Perhaps man’s arrogance daring to jab at the sky with blocks of translucency. Or is it some vain attempt to conquer the wind with powerful panes of ingeniously-stacked silhouettes. Keep gazing, brilliant light will appear.
Striving for Unity
One is the “shady side,” the other a “sunny side.” Yin and Yang, hidden and illuminated. They of course seem to be natural contradictions, dysfunctional opposites, an upsetting of equilibrium.
But what if there is a marriage here, bright and sombre coming together, a unity for greater strength? There is that drama in front of us, a dynamic, ever-changing relationship between dualities. In that transformational meeting, there is promise, a great harmony. There always is in the Sun.
Photos by Rose Hartman Text by Aaron Ross
