Kibo informs me that Al Denelsbeck stated that:

http://www.pbase.com/shootin/culture
[...]
Vic Mason - I saw this very spot in "Freaky Friday", didn't I? They cut a
police car in half right on that barrier. Vic's shot is the other side of
the coin from most of the other 'small town' entries, and it gains even
more contrast because of that, not that it needs it. Neat mix of symmetry
and chaos, and the unbalance makes us almost unaware that it's centered
very directly. It's hard to reconcile this with a typical idea of
'culture', and is very impersonal in its approach - I suspect that was the
point. The 'water' carries its own message of contact with the city, very
strongly, and nothing else in the frame detracts from this, unless you
count the distant trees, and how many people actually saw them? They
disappear nicely. I'm not sure if the empty bleachers say more, or if they
would have more impact during a game, dozens of people with their backs
turned to the filth. Even the one patch of reflection, normally implying
clear water, is broken by seams. Strong message of industrial/urban
development, and failing to be masked by the clean geometric lines of the
channels themselves. The muted light helps a lot, too.

My girlfriend was sitting here with me when I looked at this batch of
shots, & she made an interesting observation about Vic's image. She
pointed out that the concrete walls look very much like the prow of an
ocean-liner or oil tanker. Looking at the shot that way leads to a quite
a surreal experience, as though a sportsfield has been built on a ship,
& is coming towards the viewer.

--
W
. | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because
\|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est
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