The Individual in Dolphin Mall

The popularity of websites like peopleofwalmart.com and awkward family photos prove that we have become more interested in the candid and incongruous photo. The main function of these pictures—giving us a good laugh and making us feel better about our mundane ordinary lives because at least we don’t feel the need to superimpose an image of our grown selves on our most embarrassing baby picture, or wear fishnet tights and flip-flops to go grocery shopping.

But I’m fascinated by that fact that one good candid photo can also reveal truth without being a form of entertainment. The picture above was taken on the second level of Dolphin Mall overlooking the entrance. The mall is a spectacle in itself; it gets very crowed at night and, after recent renovations, now dons several neon light signs and blasts loud music from its outdoor stage. But the people are most fascinating—both reality and spectacle. Each individual is a building block of Miami: the source of its dualities and the foundation for its diversity.

Take this picture as an example. Upon first glance, it is a conglomeration of color and people and movement, but gaze longer, examine, and it is Miami life on a Saturday night for the local. In other words, there is a truth to this conglomeration, but one must scrutinize to find anything of value.

Look at the man in the second row on the third table from the left. Now scrutinize him, question: What is he wearing? Why is he alone? Does he have a purpose in the scheme of things? He is wearing semi-casual business attire—maybe he came from work. He speaks on his phone but sits alone, perhaps talking to his girlfriend or a client or a couple of good buddies. He becomes absorbed in the conversation and listens intently because the noise from the stage is drowning out the other line. But you know that he has a purpose. He will eat, tip, and leave. He will enjoy the Spectacle for a while, but he will go home. He needs order.

Now turn your attention to the bottom left corner of the photo. A little girl is having the time of her life with a bubble-maker. She does not see the man with the cellphone. She sees no one except her mother and she tries to get mom’s attention away from dad and to the bubbles popping in midair. The girl does not know what order is. She can’t fathom that her parents are having financial difficulties or that her bubbles are getting into other people’s food. She only sees beauty in the floating orbs that reflect the light from the neon signs.

Each person in this photograph has a story. Each story contributes to the duality and the diversity that is Miami. This is the natural candid reality that reveals truth beyond the spectacle.