Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Please Pass the Dramamine. Or Not.

If you were a kid growing up in Phoenix in the ‘70s, and your parents couldn’t figure out what on earth to do with you on a Saturday, they probably took (or banished) you to Legend City, our little western-y version of Six Flags. The only thing I remember about Legend City was my favorite attraction, the Dutchman’s Shack. The Shack was a tilt-house where bowling balls rolled uphill and water poured sideways. I loved that life-sized optical illusion. I loved the way it collided head-on with my brain and completely changed my perception of reality. Later I discovered that alcohol gave me the same effect.

Alas, Legend City was torn down decades ago, and it’s been a long, long time since alcohol did the trick. But I still think about that little shack and wish I could visit it (and my childhood) just one more time.

So you can imagine how happy I was to discover Dan Ng’s photographic exhibit, The Streets of San Francisco…But Flat? Looking at Ng's exhibit, I feel the same slightly disturbing, utterly enchanting collision between perception and reality.

I'd take Dramamine if I didn't like the buzz so much (the original formula, not that wimpy new stuff).

Hat tip to Good.Is.

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