Small Alterations
Small alterations can have a massive impact on the aesthetic and meaning of a place. We have standardized everything so much that we don't see things unless they are not what we expect from them.
We only have to make small changes to create a massive difference in our perspective of a place.
This was either once a window, or it has never been a window, was it suppose to be a window and why didn't it happen, why is it no longer a window? It creates a situation in which a very small thing, such a the way a brick is laid down, brings up all these question about the past, even if there is no past to it.
This light installation is placed here to create a meeting place. The red and white border makes it impossible to meet. I have never seen anyone meet here, I myself never think about this as a meeting location, it is just a passage that is constantly occupied by people moving through. Even though people walk here every day, they probably only now, when they can’t use the space, noticed that they use it.
This gate keeps people from walking into the parking lot, and cars from entering the store. The shape is not what it once was but it creates a much more dynamic feel. It almost looks designed, but it was just an accident, and we don't always have to fix accidents.
The thing they tried to cover up with red paint is peeking through, creating a new unplanned composition.
These square doors came with the building. The new users were either not allowed to change to doors, or they did not have the budget. A simple piece of wood solved those problems, drastically altering the meaning of the location.
I would never have taken this picture, from this angle, if that bucket wasn't there. It creates an interesting change to 'the normal'.
I have seen this tree nearly every day for 18 years and I only really notice it every few years when they cut the branches. Once they return this tree will fall back into the landscape and I won’t ‘see’ it for years.