Sinister
“All my two-dimensional boundaries were gone
I had lost to them badly
I saw that world crumble and thought I was dead
But I found my senses still working”
So much colour. Tulips on Michigan Avenue, and now tulips here--The Chicago Botanic Garden-- about 15 to 20 miles north of downtown. A beautiful day today, with a surprising number of people out for a Thursday in early April.
Yet, there is something odd about this place. it is too manicured. Too clean. I arrived at about 6:45AM. Aside from several groups of health walkers, it was me and the grounds crew, who scurried about in carts with "Club Car" stenciled across the back, suggesting that these are the same carts used by country clubs to maintain golf course fairways, crew-cut putting greens, artificial water hazards, and carefully contoured sand traps.
Look closer, and you will see another dimension to this space. It is void of people. It is void of color. It is a negative. Not quite the opposite of what is first scene. It occupies the same space as the colour, but it doesn't.
Photographer's Note. These images were not constructed using Instagram filters. This is the real deal. Infrared photography done in camera, which involves capturing light waves that are outside the range of waves visible to humans. To do this, it is necessary to remove the infrared blocking filter, and substitute a filter that allows infrared light to flow through the filter to the camera's sensor. This is a permanent hack, and is best left to a professional service. I find that the images do require more sharpening. Apparently the camera modifications has a more pronounced affect on the conversion of a continuous light waves to pixels than the manufacturer installed filters. As for the colours, green becomes white and blue shifts to black.
Bridge Leading to the Japanese Garden
Berkshire Poppies
Bridge Leading to Evening Island
Some Red Tulips Spread Among Others
Bridge Back to the Mainland
Pavilion Amongst the Trees
Bench Without People; A Garden Without People
The Serpentine Bridge Leading to Evening Island and the Carillon Tower
And on the way to dinner I stopped at the Bahá'í House of Worship. It should be one of the top tourist attractions in Chicago. It is far more impressive than the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower or the Hancock Tower.
Through the Magnolias
The Baha'i House of Worship
Studio of Louis Bourgeois, Architect of the Bahá'í House of Worship.
