In Wednesday's discussion of contemporary trends in urban landscape photography, one of the themes was "parks without nature." Baseball fields (they are invariably called fields or parks, emphasizing their link to nature) seem to be a good example of that, since their green spaces are often artificial turf or carefully manicured and mowed lawn. Here are two examples: "View from the Mound," at Ft. Reno Park in Tenleytown, and "After the Game," at Guy Mason Recreation Center in Glover Park.
4 comments:
Really nice photos!
Here is a link that was not included in last week's CULP document:
http://www.salon.com/2012/03/17/new_and_improved_parks_now_with_no_nature/
Somehow, there seems to be something more benign about good ol fashioned baseball - it's straightforward, it's your thing or it isn't. It's as you say a ballpark.
You have captured a certain ritualized space in the bottom image, esp. It's so recognizable, suggested with minimalism, even to non-devotees.
In the top one it seems the left and right boxes might define strike zones. I don't recall seeing this delineated like this before but that's just me. Still, having not seen it before I still feel as though I know what I'm seeing, drawn out, no mistaking, makes it easier on the ump and for all to see - no?
The lines are the batter's box, in which the batter must stand; the lines dividing foul from fair go out from there. It is a space very much in our cultural memory, whether we are fans or not.
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