Happy Hour, Ghent, Belgium, 2005 by Phil Douglis

Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Five: Stimulating the imagination with “opposites and contradictions” > Happy Hour, Ghent, Belgium, 2005

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14-JUN-2005

Happy Hour, Ghent, Belgium, 2005

As I walked Ghent’s historic Graslei at dusk, a vast promenade along the site of the city’s medieval harbor, I viewed numerous people sharing wine and companionship in the many outdoor cafes lining the River Leie. Using a 432mm telephoto lens, I compress several tables into my frame, creating great density and comparing the expressions of the patrons from table to table. The social interplay at this Happy Hour gathering seems to be quite the opposite from what we might ordinarily expect. The expressions range from passively solemn to actively serious. I leave it to the imagination of my viewers to draw their own conclusions from this contradictory image.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20
1/80s f/2.8 at 72.0mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto

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Phil Douglis		13-Jul-2005 21:35
Thanks, Likyin for linking your own tired business meeting to my joyless diners. Maybe what we are seeing in each of these images are people who do not want to share their real feelings. In both cases, they are together with each other, yet most of these people remain cut off, and enclosed in a self-imposed space.

Guest		13-Jul-2005 10:51
I am interested in this one mostly because it reminds me one of my own shots. http://www.pbase.com/image/46145412) Comparing with the long table during a business conference in HK, I would say people here are more vivid and active, and maybe really happier than tiresome business ... Well, that's even more ironic: Not so happy faces we see here might already mean "happy" during the day.

Phil Douglis		06-Jul-2005 23:30
Thanks for the compliment on my ironic sense of humor, Marisa. Irony fits very well with opposites and incongruities. I called this image "Happy Hour" because it looks anything but. You do a remarkable job of detailing the pall that seems to have fallen over this crowd at this moment. If they had been happy, I probably would have not made the picture. Thanks for picking up on the folded grey umbrellas as well -- they do a good job of symbolizing a pall, don't they? This place is crowded with those who have access to the best of foods, wines, education, and employment. Yet what have they gained? That is the question this image asks of you and all of us. Thanks, Marisa, for illuminating it with this comment.

Guest		06-Jul-2005 22:19
I love your ironic sense of humor, Phil!! that's a very important condition to 'catch' the 'opposites and contradictions', especially in the modern times... The word that I can use to define this image is 'grey'... the souls of this humans are the same as those umbrellas (I guess they're umbrellas): grey, down and closed. The picture seems to have lost the life... nobody here is enjoying the 'happy hour' because nothing 'happy' is happening in their lives, nothing. Although we can see that all this people are fancy ones, with -probably- no financial or working problems, with their basical needs absolutely fulfilled (food, cloth, house, studies, etc..) they are totally lost, empty, dead... Only one person is talking, but nobody is listening or looking at him, or paying attention at something.. they are all completely absorbed and lost in their own worlds... with no contact at all with the others. They became soul-less. That's the 'gift' that the modern times has for th human beings...

Phil Douglis		02-Jul-2005 19:28
Glad you find the contradictions and opposites here work for you, Jen. I knew I was going to create this gallery when I went to Europe, and I was thinking of contradiction as I shot this image. The gesture of the guy who is doing all the talking is the focal point of the image. But as you say, only one guy seems to be listening, and nobody responds. And thanks, Kal, for delivering the wonderful punch line.

Kal Khogali		02-Jul-2005 13:14
Almost like they have all heard the bad news and nobody has the heart to tell him to shut up! A perferct title Phil, and perfect composition! The manin the foreground with his head in his hands, makes this image for me.

Jennifer Zhou		02-Jul-2005 11:49
Interesting!! They seem eatting in one big table, and the man with white shirt is the only one talking, like with a group of people, but nobody seems to be influenced by his enthusiasm. This is something opposite and contradicted..Perfect for this gallery!

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