Iowa City as Artifact

and the creation of meaning...

Apr 04, 2024

Annie and I went to Iowa City over the weekend to visit our daughter Johanna. She’s studying psychology at the University of Iowa. Johanna’s friend Jonah joined us. I was in good company.

The world around us is a text to be read. A rich text—if only we take the time to look contemplate, and learn. As an example, the wall above is a text to be read like a book. Please click on it to enlarge.

The building is part of our built environment, and is, in and of itself, a large artifact with a story to tell. Actually, many stories to tell. I know nothing of the history of this building, but there is still a lot to learn. Every building is an experiment, and we tinker with its structure throughout its lifetime not only to maintain it, but also to make it better suit our needs as time passes and needs change.

Let’s start with the bricks. See the windows that have been filled in? The different colors and sizes of bricks? Differences in mortar? Where repairs have been made? Every building wages a war against entropy.

Notice what appears to be a scorched/gray brick rectangle above the cracked sidewalk that filled in an opening of some sort. In the past, openings at the base of walls were sometimes used for fuel oil or coal to be deposited for heating. Was the wall scorched at that place because there was a fire in a small compartment of a room at the back of the building, or were the scorched bricks brought in to fill a hole? Notice the different shaped bricks on both sides of the scorched rectangle.

Look at the wear and tear on the surface of the sidewalk. The segment below the apparently burned rectangle has seen lots of damage, perhaps related to a fire, as it too is scorched, and wear—perhaps from the wear and tear of coal or fuel oil delivery.

Notice the stucco only comes part way down. Was there another structure attached to the back at one time and the brick below the stucco an interior wall at that time?

Look how magnificent the systems servicing the building are—the heating and cooling system, the electrical, and the gutters. They are symbols of our ingenuity and power—how the building protected residents from our harsh Iowa climate for those lucky enough to reside within.

While much of what I see in the spray painting on the wall is illegible, it still suggests meaning, and we interpret it. We may or may not fully understand the intent of the creators, yet we will construct meaning regardless. One person used words as a signifier to share what they think of police officers, which are called the signified in semiotics. We don’t know the source of their ire, whether or not it is from personal experience or a general attitude that resents authority. Or if they shared that perspective as a signal of their general attitude to their peer group—suggesting their fearlessness and disregard for authority. The interpretation is up to the reader. Someone might conclude it represents a harmless youthful rejection of authority. Alternatively, one might be offended, and curse the youth of today as elder generations have for millennia. Some might think it cool, others might view it as pure dumbassery.

The ambiguity, of course, is the source of its power.

As an old carpenter, I love anything related to building infrastructure, heating, and cooling. There are letters behind this service, but I didn’t take the time to read them and process their meeting. Notice a broken window—a story of violence we will never know.

There is also what appears to be a spray-painted image of male genitalia.

Penis graffiti has been around for thousands of years, and has been found on Roman ruins, in Bhutan, and in Greece. In ancient Rome, penis graffiti was common and was considered a good luck symbol. In Greece, stone carvings of penises have been found dating back 2,500 years. Some researchers have hypothesized that phallic engravings were meant to be engaged with, to amuse or insult.

So much to see and interpret! So many stories to learn, yet we will never know what’s behind many of the images. Regardless, we can learn as we contemplate what the creator might have wanted to share.

And when we don’t know, we make stuff up.

We went into a store, and I saw great beauty everywhere. Please click on the images to make them full-sized. The wonders of the universe before us:

Please watch the video below, and consider the miracles of the universe we live in:

Look at these artifacts! They came from all over the world! What was their journey? What is their story? What are they trying to tell us? So much to learn and appreciate from these people…

Thanks so much for joining us on our walk in Iowa City. If you know more than I do about what we saw, please share your thoughts…

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