What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief
And the dry stone no sound of water ...
Unreal city, under the brown fog of a winter dawn...
T.S. Eliot The Wasteland
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This quote reminds me so much of Manhattan, the city I have lived in for three years, and lived near all my life. It inspired me to take a camera on my walks in Manhattan, to record some of the beauty that I find in the hard and narrow spaces of the city. What appeals to me most is the place where buildings and people meet, a few feet from the ground, where the stone comes alive with images, posters, words and markings. The walls become like skin: worn, smoothed, bruised, painted. These are the human spaces beneath the skyline of the city. Here are some photos that I have taken during my walks, mostly from the lower east side and Soho, two areas where I spend a lot of time and find some of the best images.
16th St near 1st Ave (in Stuyvesant Town), 10/10/95
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Houston and Mercer, 10/10/95
Some characters I ran into along the way.
Each face is a detail from a larger image.
Click to see the full photo (approx 40 K)
Unusual plantlife thrives on the street.
Click to see the full image (approx 30-50 K)