The following pictures were taken downtown during my drift. I was interested in the patterns of the city that were not meant to be there. I started at the CalNeva parking garage and made my way towards the freeway entrace and circled back after crossing Virginia Street and Sierra Street. At first it was hard to find an inspiration. I felt crowded by all the blatant and intrusive patterns of the city. Then, new patterns began to emerge. They were undesirable ones, unique to this city, and unlike any others. They are patterns temporary in nature and lost in a city full of unnatural design. They are not meant to be there and to almost all would be classified as ugly. I was able to see patterns developed from the corrosion of the city, whether it be by natural causes or from the immense human existance. Some of these patterns, for example the leaves or cigarrette butts, are so quickly rearranged into new patterns that they were originals to only a small set of individuals who happened to notice. Other patterns, like the graffiti or paint splatter, would last much longer, and remain important because they are inherently unique from any other patterns in any other city. These patterns, which most would consider unwelcome, will continue to creep up on the city and provide a unique identity.
The picture above is the ceiling of an old building. The erosion has formed cracks in a pattern of squares.
The picture above is a skid mark from a bicycle. The mark forms parallel lines on the ground.
These are shoe prints in dust. This pattern will quickly fade with the next rain.
Tagging on the wall of a building. This art is a unique pattern of colors and wording.
Leaves blowing in the wind. This pattern reminded me of constellations in the night sky.
This is an ash tray with cig butts in it.
This is blue ink that was spilled in the street. This was by far my favorite pattern. The blue stain really stood out in the gray city.
