At first I thought the poem was referring to that digital clock that's really high, with red lights on it. Then I drove around the city a million times and found the other clock tower overlooking Clinton Square, and decided it was most definitely the clock tower the poet was talking about. It's much more interesting than the digital one.

I photographed it during the day, to get the details, and then at night to get the color. Then I combined those pictures on the computer and stretched the buildings to make them look taller.

When I think of a “real” city, I think of huge buildings. So I wanted them to look massive and all-encompassing.
I wanted you to look at my piece and say, “Oh, that's a beautiful city—I wonder what city it is?” And then be surprised: “Oh, it's Syracuse!”