Signs of Distress?
We all have our go-to anecdote about this economic downturn. Mine concerns commercial real estate signs.
Perhaps it’s their angular, colorful nature. Or that it seems they’re constantly blooming in new spots. Or that they might mark the grave of a recently deceased business. Whatever the case, I have found myself emotionally nicked hundreds of times by these signs over the past several months.
That said, I never attempted to capture any of this with my camera until I encountered an exhibit at the Julie Saul Gallery in New York last weekend. In that exhibit, photographer Brian Ulrich tells such a compelling (and depressing) story of consumers and commerical spaces that I decided to document what I’ve been seeing where I live.
Each picture below represents a composite of commercial real estate signs I saw in a single block between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York. (A block here means a “lap”; so, all of 21st and 22nd Streets, for example, between the Avenues.) Here are the photographs:
Commercial real estate signs seen on lap of 24th and 25th Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York
Commercial real estate signs seen on lap of 21st and 22nd Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York
Commercial real estate signs seen on lap of 19th and 20th Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York
Commercial real estate signs seen on lap of 16th and 17th Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York
Commercial real estate signs seen on lap of 13th and 14th Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues in New York
What are you seeing where you live? Drop links to your photos in the comments section.
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Josh: This is a great idea. Sad, in its initial incarnation, but great. You know what I mean.
Bill, thanks for the comment. I brightened up the theme for my second post. It only seemed right heading into the weekend.
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