The Moment Shopping Became Looking
At what point does something in a shop become worth more than a quick glance? At first, the eye takes in whole shopping spaces.
4 catches
Later, one chair and one carved twist are enough to stop it.
Before the objects came into focus
The first save keeps everything at street level: “center of Grafton street, shopping area” [1]. Then the frame edges closer, from a festive tabletop display [2] to the gloriously unprocessed “€12.49, juicy lamp & beef mixed” [3]. The lens widens once more across a mall concourse, where shoppers and stores still matter as much as anything for sale [4]. These are quick records of whatever caught the eye, before the eye knew what to call it.
[1]
center of Grafton street, shopping area Dublin
[2]
A festive tabletop display in a store Malahide
[3]
€12.49, juicy lamp & beef mixed Clongriffin, Darndale
[4]
A wide angle view of an indoor shopping mall concourse with shoppers and retail stores. Athlone
The lasting find was not a particular purchase. It was a sharper way of seeing: first the shop, then the object, then the story carried in its shape.