Sunday, January 31, 2010

1931


We Daily Photo Bloggers talk about this all the time. We live in a city for years, decades, (eons?) even and walk or drive by places and yet never notice them until that "photographer's eye" takes over our hearts and minds! Well this is a prime example for me. I've lived in Birmingham for most of my ...... many years! Never even noticed this beautiful Art Deco signage until the other day. Wonder why?

24 comments:

Katie said...

Very cool art deco design at the top. I just might have to copy it for a mosaic. Is this some sort of portal to a new world, or a covered walkway? What fun that you're seeing your city with a photographer's eyes now. So much for you to (re)discover and share with us!

Fotofule said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pat said...

Know watcha mean; I've seen a couple places for the 'first' time. Nice photo!

cieldequimper said...

Beautiful? Non, it's gorgeous, and such a lovely alley too!

Julie said...

It is a grand photo, VJ. Love the concept of through ...

Not sure about the art-deco, though. Yes to the corner treatment, but the rest is quite elaborate.

brattcat said...

I love the sense of multiple portals in this, each with the promise of a tale.

Daryl said...

Its amazing how we all often miss what is right under our noses! Nice shot, took me a second to realize I was looking into a tunnel

Louis la Vache said...

It must be Deco Day! (Not a bad thing, in «Louis'» eyes!)

Pasadena Adjacent said...

an extraordinary detail

MadAboutParis said...

Amazing...you'll have to show me next time!
xx,
M

jb said...

This is very cromst (Captcha word)

Virginia said...

JB, There you go speaking in tongues again!

Lowell said...

Like you say...we're often just not tuned in to certain things. I see things for the first time all the time in areas I've traveled many times...

Maybe it's our brain's way of protecting us from sensory overload!

Owen said...

Sometimes we discover things when we're ready to discover them...

And in view of your appreciation of the song "Angel From Montgomery" that was mentioned last week, it just occurred to me to wonder if you know the song Bruce Cockburn did called "Birmingham Shadows"?

Chuck Pefley said...

Glad you found this. I'm trying to make sense of what appears to be a series of mirrors ... can you enlighten?

Virginia said...

Chuck it's looking through and underpass tunnel to the other side. Neat huh??:)
V

And for the record, my friend John whispered at church today that the reason I'd passed by this until recently was probably because our dearly "departed" mayor actually did something with all the money he got and spiffed up this underpass with new paint etc. Don't ask what he did with all the other money. :(

Julie, I was unsure about the Art Deco thing. You're probably right.

Owen,
How does someone French know all these cool songs? I'll go try and find the one you mentioned. Liked the other one! Merci.

Jacob,
My brain is a colander now. So much goes in but some much drains out!

Bob Crowe said...

'Cause you hadn't trained yourself to look before you picked up your camera, silly. This feels like it could be in pre-war Vienna.

Virginia said...

HA, well that's why I love ya B. You always come up with something I never thought of!!

PJ said...

The art work alone is wonderful but the receding walkway makes it really interesting.

valeria said...

This is quite outsanding, you could hardly have ignored it!

Kim said...

OOoooo, ooooo, that exact motif graces several buildings here. I've got some shots in my archives. Lovely to see the stylized fern. Love the gold leaf on the eagles, too. Where was this? A school?

Kim said...

@ Owen, I've wondered if V might know of that song, too. Bruce Cockburn is my fave musician and I know it well. It is about a walk he took with musician Ani DiFranco after playing a set at a Birmingham, AL music festival back in the '90s. I had not known there was a mountain near Birmingham until I heard that song.
Kim

Anonymous said...

Hello! I know this is an old post, and therefore, probably rather random that somebody would be commenting on it. I was actually trying to do some research on these bridges and stumbled across this post. I recently had the stylized fern design up top tattooed on my upper left arm, and I love in reading through the comments, it seems that in a way it encapsulates for others what it does for me. I love this city, and the hidden beauties you would never notice unless really looking for them. Beautiful photo.

Virginia said...

Anonymous, Comments are always welcome. I'm glad you found this photo useful. I think the design sounds like a wonderful tattoo as well!
V