It's time for the Back Room Weekly!

Roger Vail's series Inconspicuous Places consists of straight photographs capturing complex and mysterious reflections in glass windows.  Layer after layer, ambiguous images unfold to reveal multiple perspectives simultaneously. In a single frame, viewers experience the surface texture of the glass, objects inside a room, as well as buildings, people, and landscapes outside in the distance. Each poetic photograph induces a quiet and contemplative state of mind when piecing together their unique compositions.

On Thursday, March 19th, 2009, Vail captured this image during his afternoon wanderings through the urban areas of San Jose. Hazy washes and dirty smears cover the surface of this muted cityscape. A large gray rectangle, marked with opaque graffiti, blocks most of the photograph, which begs the question, "What are we not supposed to see?" The feeling of censorship inspires the viewer to delve deeper and inspect every inch of the photograph looking for clues.  Sparse branches, a non-descript building, and a barely visible street are all that can be recognized. However, on the far right, there is a faint glimpse of the original scene that, for a moment, separates reality from Vail's dream world.

For a closer look at 1:35pm 3-19-09 San Jose, as well as other works by Vail, stop by JAYJAY Wed-Sat, 11-4pm.