Cities and Desire

Many of the chapters in Invisible Cities seem to describe a specific city, person, or something else representative of a place. Cities and Desire 3 caught my attention because the purpose seemed much different. Instead of a animate object, it seemed to describe a feeling of discontent. It describes the feeling of wanting what you can’t have. The camel driver sees the city as looking like a boat. To him, he has land but wants an escape. The sailor sees the city as looking like a camel. To him, he has the seas but he wants land. I thought this was interesting how a place could be described by the desires of the people rather than a material object. Each entity within the city is described in great detail but completely differently depending on the person you are talking to. This relates directly to everything we have been learning in art class about point of view. The same city is being described, but each building and each landmark has a completely different meaning for each person who steps foot into the city.

I thought this picture was interesting and fit in with one of the overall themes of Invisible Cities. The part of the picture on top of the glass is portrayed one way, but when you look at it from a completely different angle, the entire scenery changes. It all has to do with your prospective and point of view on the subject.