Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Sign of the Times


Can you symbolically capture the decline of Rust Belt cities with these two signs, located just a few feet apart in downtown Cleveland? Is there a simpler way to illustrate the transformation from industrial might to service industry servitude?



2 comments:

  1. The collective psyche of human society would benefit if it rediscovered the value of the work of the artisan, and his ability to communicate uplifting, reassuring, and positive visual messages, in even, (and maybe especially), the most mundane elements of everyday life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Same thing in NY.

    Why have this
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ansonia

    When you can have this
    http://www.dnainfo.com/20100916/lower-east-side-east-village/2-cooper-square-bans-pool-parties

    Which would you rather live in?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.