By Cleveland SGS
The common belief is that downtown Cleveland is quickly transitioning into an area of uniform culture. Absent from the visual landscape are mistakes … present behind every man, woman and child are graphics promoting foodstuffs, nonprofit campaigns, or directives from local government.
During this period of development, SGS intentionally turned away from downtown. In our mind its imagery is no different than a photo of the West Side Market clock tower or an Edgewater sunset. The truth of the matter is that woven into the fabric of downtown life are threads of awkwardness that reveal much about the human condition.
A moment of reflective thought on the way to lunch, affirming one’s individuality in front of an audience of downtown visitors, outward expressions of workplace conformity, silent despair within a sea of noisy jubilation, feelings of disdain for others, and the complete rejection of all that surrounds you; this psychological diversity is the gold of city centers that make them desirable.
Compiling this photo set for this month’s installment was a challenge for SGS. In many respects we had to learn to see again, and by doing so, came to appreciate the change that is occurring in downtown life. We encourage others to take on the challenge: turn away from monuments and fix your gaze to that which is commonplace. The longer you study sameness, the more you will learn about the perplexities of life.
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- Love
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- Luck
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- Meeting
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- Tokyo
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- Others
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- Definitely
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- Early
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- Break
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- Book
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- Clean
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- Preparation
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- Conviction
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- Practice
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- Chance
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- King
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How refreshing to read and see downtown Cleveland in a unique and positive light. I absolutely LOVE the eclectic diversity of the photos captured by SGS. It’s a treat to try and guess where each photo was taken. This is a slice of Cleveland that we never see, that is mostly overshadowed by negative and depressing news. Each picture was captured at just the right moment. I hope that we get more articles like this. Who are the folks behind Cleveland SGS? Keep up the good work!
This slideshow captured the natural beauty of Cleveland.
The photography work is really excellent. It captures the drudgery and soullessness of downtown Cleveland quite effectively.
Drudgery and soullessness ?!? Are you serious? Please leave the critiquing to the professionals. Smart ass comments are not needed here. Please go to cleveland.com and leave your remarks!
Apologies for my earlier flip response. There are a lot of interesting, complex and in some cases delightful people in the slideshow. My original response had more to do with the concrete backgrounds: it reminded me that there’s a lot of industrial ugliness in downtown Cleveland; that environment can have an unfortunately depressing effect.