Lines that are interrupted, misaligned or go awry.
Look down! There’s a sprawling canvas of stripes beneath our feet. Everyday we pace across the lines that organise our cities and most of the time, we don’t give it a second thought. Tokyo’s street lines are altered by the way of life here. Scorching summers, constant road works and amendments that are reactions to the fast paced changing needs mean that street lines are very often a mess.
I like the mess.
We really like the stripes on this photo. Deceptively simple, it’s very much a case of the more you look; the more you realise. The stripes and shadows from the textural folds of the corrugated iron sheeting, the shadows of the cables - the reflection in the window!
This photo was sent to us by @ihendersuk (Instagram) and was taken in Kyoto in 2015. in his own words”
“At first, it was the deep red colour that caught my attention; but the more I looked the more I saw lines – and stripes – cutting across each other in all directions.”
Thank you for sharing this memory with us, Ian.
Find Ian on Instagram: Instagram: @ihendersuk
Aside from the beautiful stripes, this also appeals to our love for corrugated iron. Or as Japanese call it; “totan”. If you are interested, wrote about it previously here.
I’m delighted to share our first guest collection of stripes and couldn’t be happier that it comes from Alexis/@ghostzine.
The following stripy captures were all noticed in Portugal:
Cascais, Portugal by @ghostzine
Almada, Portugal by @ghostzine
Estoril, Portugal by @ghostzine
Nazaré, Portugal by @ghostzine
Sintra, Portugal by @ghostzine
Alexis is from York, UK and is currently living in Almada, Portugal. If you’re interested in visiting Portugal and seeing a less popularised version of the country, be sure to follow Alexis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ghostzine/?hl=en
The history behind stripes is long and fascinating. Their appeal is timeless. We know this as we see brand after brand attach themselves to specific stripes.
But what about the mundane stripes?
Here are 3 Super Ordinary Life stripe situations to inspire you to notice more mundane stripy goodness:
Komabatodaimae station, Tokyo
Crisp Street Market, London
Yoyogi Uehara Station, Tokyo
We’d love to share your favourite stripe themes photos!
Send them to us in a quick email. letting us know where each pic was taken (just the city will do).
Don’t worry about perfect photography. We are more interested in what caught your attention.
Let us know how you would like to be credited. Your name, website, Instagram account etc.
Really looking forward to sharing your observations!
Email: Yasumi @ superordinarylife . com