Cardboard Dreams 

Denis Peterson’s photograph, "Cardboard Dreams," presents two men against an urban backdrop, immediately drawing our attention to its composition of color and texture. The palette is muted—grays and blues dominate, evoking a sense of bleakness which is contrasted by the visual weight of the plastic bag in the foreground. This somber aesthetic is not just descriptive; it's structural. The rough texture of the wall, the men’s worn clothing, and the makeshift bedding all underscore a deeper commentary on marginalization and the spaces that society relegates to its most vulnerable. Peterson uses a stark realism, devoid of romanticism, which serves as a critical semiotic intervention into how homelessness is represented. The photograph’s power lies in its destabilization of comfortable viewing. It challenges us to confront the realities of urban poverty, not as a distant issue, but as a visceral presence. The composition and color choices function aesthetically, but primarily as a stark visual language that demands we reconsider our role in the social structures it depicts.