Just Below the Surface

Being unable to make the Seattle-trip, I spent a day in Downtown Olympia observing poverty and wealth. For a while I was actively looking for different representations. Anna Minor and I went out of our way to find any and all potential symbols. Wealth was the easiest, as those with the funds are more willing to flaunt them than those without.

We began at the waterfront. With all the boats, there was an abundance of potential.

Watery Driveway

As if owning a boat alone wasn’t enough, now it’s a house and a boat. This house boat with its paneled walls, lovely blue and white trim, and outdoor bench isn’t even the most luxurious part of this photo. The little sailboat, “Windrush” (and the surrounding boats) is only used when the owner has the time. The houseboat is in constant use, the others however, are weekend get-aways. Plus, as anyone who has ever owned a boat knows it is expensive: Bring On Another Thousand!

This means you, all non-boatowners.

Boat owning is a highly selective hobby. Well... not really. It's actually fairly simple if you have the money for it. Only those with the ability to own a boat breech the chain-link fence. This sign might as well read “Anyone who cannot afford a boat, get the heck out.” As if the height of the fence isn’t intimidating enough, there’s an electronic lock blocking all who are unworthy of the marina.

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

Unfortunately, there are no people in this area, which would have been ideal. The fountain of Downtown Olympia is frequently filled with children and their families cooling off on a warm day. The state-owned fountain is a symbol of the wealth of the city. Or at least the wealth in this part of the city.

Shattered

After leaving the docks, Anna and I made our way to another part of Downtown. I’m honestly not sure which street or area we were at, but it was an immediate difference. The first think that was obvious was the lack of color in the walls. Buildings, as we walked farther, became more and more in need of repair. Finally, we came to this. Glass littered the ground under the two broken panels. The wooden thing is probably the source, but we have no idea what happened. We walked to the front of the building to find that it had been the old electric company.

Barren

Yes, this is probably obvious, but ignore the fact that it’s a food bank for a moment, forget that it’s designed for those in poverty. Instead, look at the building itself. Look at the ground and the surrounding area. Now scroll up and look at the fountain image. Go ahead… I’ll wait… What did you see? The waterfront has trees and art. There are decorations to improve the landscape and view. The area around the food bank is dull and lifeless. The only plants in the area is some wild grass around the telephone poll, and I can almost guarantee that wasn’t done to improve the landscape.

Window Shopping

We found ourselves back on the main road. It was well after lunch and we were both very hungry and were on our way back to my car. As we left, we passed by the boutique. The dresses in the window caught our eye. They’re adorned with some impressive sparkles—probably rhinestones—and already made of expensive fabric. These dresses aren’t used for daily outings. They’re special event dresses that are usually only worn once. I wish I had the funds to buy a $500-$1000 dress just to forget about it after one night.

Seattle Luxury & Poverty

Name Brands
These three ladies were walking from the mall to a shop off of Pine St. I noticed their attire, their purses and their bags they had in their hands. The three purses were name brand items; their clothing was new, fashionable and clean. They were walking from store to store, buying things.
This represented luxury to me because through their appearance they had the freedom, money and time to go out and walk leisurely around the city. It was interesting to see these ladies walking only a few blocks from the protest against large corporations and them walking around spending money that will increase the corporation wealth.

Searchers
What I noticed about walking in downtown Seattle was that although there are huge buildings, a ton of shopping centers, and large tourist attractions, between these buildings were alleys used to collect trash. This is where a lot of the hobos were hanging out. These two men were going through trash and scavenging for items. After the photo was taken, I could hear the man on the bike talking on a cell phone which I thought was ironic. Someone who was able to pay for a phone and its service, but he is still on the back streets searching through others' garbage.

High Rise

High Rise

As I walked around the streets of Seattle I began to notice that in order to find luxury I had to
look up. Everything representing luxury was above me. Tall buildings, airplanes flying over Elliot Bay, and even art work. This picture captures the essence that everything luxurious seems to be made high…high rise. The taller the building, the nicer it looked. This made me feel that luxury is out of reach from the streets.

Metropolitan Improvement District: a non-profit organization that patrols Seattle and provides services to the general public as well as a homeless outreach service. They provide a bus service to the homeless persons throughout downtown Seattle and bus them to the mission nearby. The volunteers also provide information to tourist attractions and keep Seattle as safe and as welcoming as possible to the guests and residents. Their role is to keep Seattle an attractive place by cleaning sidewalks and alleyways. But then one thinks of the message behind the words. Are the people of Seattle really as uncomfortable with the unhoused people as this makes them seem? Their job is to make sure the unhoused individuals are constantly moving, never to be in the same place for very long, never there to disturb the peaceful picture that many tourists have of Seattle.

The waterfront is a popular place for both tourists and panhandlers. The homeless that wander along the boardwalk don’t stay in place for long as the MID will come by and ask them to move. Similar to the individuals in Sidewalk, some ask for any spare change while others stand silently to the side with or without signs. This man wandered up and down the boardwalk a few times while we walked through, only staying in one area for about fifteen minutes each.

Poverty and Luxury in Tacoma, WA

In the top left corner, I took two pictures of buildings just down the road from each other. The one on the left is very nice, painted gold and a deep red. There were nice cars parked out front. The one to the right has broken windows and is in need of a paint job. There were no cars parked outside. These two buildings were on the same strip, so I found it very interesting. In the area of downtown Tacoma that I photographed, the areas of poverty and luxury were separated by only a few streets, and in this instance, only a couple store fronts.
The picture to the right of the two building is of an old door frame. There was graffiti and trash all around that area. I found it very interesting that the words written on the door say “We don’t hate”. This could be taken in many different ways, but it caught my eye that in the middle of all of this dirtiness, there was a reassuring, almost calming, message like this. To the bottom left of this picture is a picture of a garage that is completely covered in graffiti. There were almost no cars parked in there and the ground was in need of repair.
In the top right corner, I took a picture of the Metropolitan Development Council building. In Sidewalk, we read about the different BID’s in New York. They are in charge of keeping areas clean, with sanitizing teams, and keeping the homeless “under control”, in a way. I was amazed to see this after reading about it in a place so near home.
In the bottom right corner is a photo of a BMW, a very nice, designer car, with a high rise building in the background. I thought that this picture was a great representation of luxury because it displays these expensive things, cars and buildings, together. The area that this was taken was a very nice, clean area in Tacoma, right next to the water. The car was parked in front of an apartment building that actually overlooks the water.
Next to the BMW picture is a picture of a sandwich board for a wine shop in front of a graffiti covered garbage can. I thought that this represented a combination of luxury and poverty because it shows a very luxurious thing, a wine shop, right next to a thing associated with poverty, graffiti. All around the wine shop were other nice shops, like flower shops and antiques, but this garbage can sat there in the middle like a sore thumb. Just down the road was the graffiti covered garage, and I’m sure that this was somehow related to that artist. This shows how close poverty and luxury can to be to each other, when they seem so far away.
Further into the “bad” part of town, I found a chair sitting by the side of the road. It was covered in leaves from the trees around it, showing that it had been out there for quite some time. No one had removed it. When we started discussing in class what we think of when we hear the word poverty, an answer was furniture outside. This clearly represented that interpretation of poverty, and I thought it was interesting that even though they have the Metropolitan Development Council, which should be helping to clean up the city, this recliner was never taken away. It made me wonder if they even visit that part of town.
The last picture, in the bottom right corner, is of a business space for rent. I first started taking pictures of it because it was trashed inside, but then I noticed the sign on the front door. The store used to be Countrywide Home Loans. I thought it represented poverty because even a home loan business couldn’t stay in business in this economy and in a part of town where both luxurious and poverty stricken people were so close together.

Olympia- A quick look at two different cultures.

Olympia Washington 10/7/2011

Material Possessions of the wealthy
I went down to the water in Olympia. As I walked around I was reminded of the amount of money some people possess by looking at their beautiful boats. I thought about how much they must cost and what fun it would be to ride one. This boat I feel was one of the more expensive and a good way of showing the materialistic nature of the wealthy.

Free is better
Water should be free! Those of the lower class find ways to get things for free. So I believe this is a sign of poverty in Olympia. I checked this facet and it worked perfectly. Also when you looked closer you could tell it has been used recently. I could never imagine a person without money getting water from this facet. So I believe this is a sign of poverty in Olympia.




What path would you take?


Work or Freedom?


The Landing
This is a picture of a store that sells cigarettes for cheap out in Nisqually. I feel that you can even look at the structure and type of building it is to get the idea that it a part of poverty. The roof is made of a cheap type of roofing and is dirty. The signs that litter the porch and walls is showing how cheap the merchandise it. Also the huge concrete dividers in front gives you the idea they are trying to protect the building and walkway. Everything about this shop and the merchandise inside gives me the feeling it would be considered part of the culture of poverty.


Perfectly Cut Grass
When I looked at this building with the landscaping done around it I thought, wow that sure looks nice. I looked at the beautiful grass and trimmed bushes. The roof and materials used to build the building look high quality and expensive. The windows are all tinted, and look how many windows there are. Also the amount of lights around the building tell me it is a lot of money to keep the building maintained. The way this building looks gives me the idea that it would be considered a part of high class in Olympia.

Visual Ethnography of Luxury Vs. Poverty

Macy’s Jewelry Department off Pine Street, Seattle

Jewels are a commodity for the rich, who, according to this view, are rare. The only person in this part of the store is the sales clerk. Tall columns edged with what looks like marble, unique rug pattern, and brightly lit displays signify prestige that seem to only welcome people with higher incomes. Jewelry becomes a representation of status and power.