Skywatch Friday - de-countrified
It's strange how different shapes against the sky can create an immediate emotional reaction. In the case of this Antwerp skyline, the first word that came to my mind to describe it was the French 'dépaysement'. Literally 'de-countrified', it has connotations of exile, the exotic, displacement. When I say this skyline from the top of the MAS (the Museum aan de Stroom), it wasn't just a change of country that it evoked, but a change of world. I had the strongest sense I was looking at the skyline of an alien planet, so unaccustomed were the shapes and dispersal of the tall buildings.
Below - the MAS.
And the sense of dislocation in relation to the sky continued throughout my visit. Below, a spindly chimney anchored to the roof.
Everything in this shot says 'You're not in Scotland now': overhead trame wires (sounds of hollow laughter off from those of us in Edinburgh), more exotic chimneys, and the spires ranging from squat and onion-like to ivory filigree against the sky.
And even once airborne on the return flight to Edinburgh, the strangeness of this landscape in the sky - smoke from factory or power station chimneys piercing the cloud floor somewhere over the Netherlands.
More skies around the world are at Skywatch Friday.
Very nice, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThat last shot is fascinating, I've never seen something like that from a plane!
ReplyDeleteLovely. You're right, different skylines do create different emotion. What always gets me is the image of twilight settling over our mountains. I think this is what I will miss most if I move away... Wow, your first picture is just hauntingly beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI would never have guessed this was a Scotland skyline. It is, however, hauntingly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI love the mixture of old and new in that first shot. My city doesn't have much of a skyline, but what's behind that skyline is wonderful (a 14,110-foot-high mountain)!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you have expressed this feeling of dislocation. I kept trying to put into words how I felt when we moved from New England to the wild and wide open West--I think you've nailed it.
ReplyDeleteLove the little chimney that looks like it is about to fly away.
It all looks so alien to my eyes. The silhouettes are quite attractive, though.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the word "dépaysement". What a great untranslatable.
ReplyDeleteThat top picture makes me ache to go there.
You're so right about the emotional effect of a well-known skyline, or for that matter an alien one. My heart catches when I see Mt. Hood silhouetted against the Portland skyline, even in a postcard! When I first moved to Aberdeen, a few times I turned a corner and thought I saw the mountain, but it was just a big fluffy white cloud on the horizon. The effect was the same, for a split-second!
ReplyDeleteOh Linda....that very first photo is amazing. Love the color and building you choose to include in the skyline are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteIt really is an interesting sight to see across all the buildings and the steeples. a lot of diverse things that have been built in the city.
ReplyDeleteWonderful and inderessting photos Linda!
ReplyDeleteMany greetings
I like your Scottish skies better :) Cheers, Jenni
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is truly a winning shot. Great series.
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