Insight

"La Carne de Mula No Es Transparente"


The above caption translates: the meat of an ass is not transparent. It would be the same as saying "you make a better door than a window." After revisiting this ethnography project that saying came into my mind as I reflected on the picture I took right infront of Pike's Market. My original intention was to get a picture of Ryan conversating with a homeless lady and her dog. After taking the picture, I noticed these signs were in the way; I almost discarded it. Then I realized that these were stacked signs, including the homeless man that I failed to see. The same homeless man that I thought was in the way of my subject. Instead he became my subject and the portrayal of stacked signs. As I had mentioned, there are more than restaurant signs out in the streets of Seattle, there are signs of poverty all around. From this ethnography I learned of a sight unseen!

Unconnected Pieces

At the higher (wealthy) end of Seattle, by the waterfront, I took a picture of this mosaic artistry. What caught my attention was the hand that states Coop. As I viewed the mosaic and its setting, I came across a huge Irony. The mosaic itself presents itself a symbol of the poverty that can be found in Seattle. The Coop Hand is a piece of art that can literally mean helping hand. The scattered, plain pieces range from pictureless glass to native american symbols. As close as these pieces of glass may be they are never fully connected together, I see no resolution but a scattered awareness of images and symbols representing culture. The beauty of the project Romanticizes and pulls people away from the problem of Poverty. I question if it is okay to settle for saying "poverty is just part of the culture." That is what I see in this mosaic piece of art. It is a wealthy message that sets aside poverty in Seattle, and instead makes you believe that there is a "helping hand."