In New York City, subway conductors have to point at a black and
white sign. At every hour of the day. At every stop. On every train.
Like they're some sort of automated robot that just happens to go home
to families and children and processes complex human emotion. They do
this to show that they've fully arrived on the platform.
Conductors
spend their whole day in that small booth, alone. It is incredibly
loud, and they get minimal human contact. We decided to show our
appreciation for their work.
The signs we used:
• You are not wearing pants right now
• You have taken a selfie while driving
• You have seen a passenger naked
• Shoot the target with your laser finger [bullseye]
• You are dead sexy
• You still love Thomas The Tank Engine
• Snape kills Dumbledore
• The 2nd Ave Subway is a lie
• NY is the greatest city in the world
Thank you MTA conductors for getting us there on time (mostly).
I was quite moved by the New York City Ballet's NEW BEGINNINGS. Filmed at sunrise on September 12, 2013, on the 57th floor of 4WTC, this performance of Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain is a very beautiful tribute to NYC.
Rap Quotes, an ongoing project by artist Jay Shells, is pretty brilliant stuff. Putting his love of hip hop to good use, Shells takes quotes from lyrics that call out specific places around NYC and puts them on signs, installing them at their specific corners and locations. See more in the video below!
I recently came across The Sill, a New York-based company that's all about helping people incorporate greenery into their lives.
The benefits of living with plants are numerous, and The Sill has made it easy to choose the perfect greenery for your city abode. They're picked out a variety of plants that boast a combination of long life, easy care and adaptability and have hand potted them in an eclectic mix of containers, most of which are artist-made. So, not only can you chose your perfectly-potted plant, but The Sill also offers complementary delivery in Manhattan and Brooklyn as well as a website that's filled with handy plant care instructions. What a great business idea!
I'm sure you've seen this incredible, powerful image of Manhattan, taken by photographer Iwan Baan for New York Magazine. After a week off from work while my office was lacking power, it was both satisfying and difficult to get back to business as usual, especially in the wake of so much destruction, with so many people still in need of help. And now it's been a week since I first posted about how you, my dear readers, can help the victims of Hurricane Sandy by making a donation to the Red Cross, but today, I wanted to share some additional ways to help. The New York Blood Center and New York Cares are both wonderful organizations that can use your help right now, whether its by donating money, giving blood or volunteering. If you're looking to make a direct contribution of supplies, sfgirlbybay brought this easy way to help to my attention yesterday: the Occupy Sandy group came up with the brilliant solution of creating an Amazon gift registry listing exactly what items are still needed to help with the relief effort. You just pick things out of the list to purchase and the supplies will be sent directly to the people who need them most - it couldn't be easier. And if you're looking to put your money to good use by not only helping out, but by supporting artists and designers as well, Colossal has a wonderful list of people who are donating 100% of their proceeds generated from the sale of their prints and shirts to Sandy recovery.
I wanted to interrupt my regular posting to say that this Brooklyn girl is safe and sound after the devastation that Hurricane Sandy wrecked upon the city last night. Of course, not all New Yorkers or East Coasters can say the same, and there's going to be a lot of clean-up in the days ahead. So, if you're like me and are looking for ways to help those who weren't as lucky this time around, please consider donating to a disaster relief organization such as the Red Cross. It only takes a minute, and every little bit helps. Thanks, and stay safe.
As both a New Yorker who loves her bike and has come to increasingly rely on it to get around town over the past few years, and as an appreciator of good graphic design, I absolutely love Mother New York's Bike Like a New Yorker ad campaign.
Created for BikeNYC in partnership with Transportation Alternatives, the campaign was created in order to stay ahead of the debate on the upcoming bike share program by drawing attention to cyclists in the city. And as you can see by the end product, it's a job very well accomplished. You can check out the rest of the designs on the Mother New York website, and learn more about biking in the city at BikeNYC.org.
It seems that this past week was a particularly good one for clever videos, because both of these required multiple viewings made me laugh in their own special way.
First up, dogs dressed as Star Wars characters barking out the Imperial March? Um, yes, please. The subtle use of props to distinguish the dogs is fantastic, but the ending with the AT-AT is what really got me. Way to go, Volkswagen.
And then, of course, there's the one video that all of NYC has been talking about lately. I already loved Ilana Glazer for Broad City, but I'm happy to find out that her brother Eliot is hilarious as well.
Happy Friday, friends. I'm currently on my way to Colorado to attend my cousin's wedding. While we've had a major heat wave here in New York, it's supposed to be in the 60s during the day and 40s at night out there, which will definitely be a welcome change! I'll be putting the posts on hold until I'm back in town on Wednesday, but wanted to leave you with some pretty pictures from the Great Gatsby-inspired wedding on Shelter Island that both Jennifer and Jenny recently attended. Have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you all next week.
On May 1, a group of diners found themselves at a very unusual luncheon. With the combined efforts of several supper clubs - most notably, a razor, a shiny knife - over the course of 30 minutes, a formal, six-course meal was served to a group of a dozen people aboard the L train, on the New York City subway system. In addition to be a very impressive feat of timing and coordination, as you can see in the video below, it also looks like it was a whole lot of fun, both for the coordinators and participants.
You can read more about this highly unusual dining experience on a razor, a shiny knife's website, as well as in this New York Times article. And speaking of unusual, Patrick and I went to see Sleep No More this past Saturday, one of the strangest, coolest and definitely most unforgettable theater experiences I've ever seen. Inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth and performed by the British troupe Punchdrunk, you don't just watch Sleep No More. Instead, you're allowed to wander freely through a 5-story, 100 room set that includes such spaces as a 1930s-era hotel, a truly eerie graveyard, lots of unsettlingly-strange bedrooms, a ballroom, a hospital/sanatorium, and many more, all after being given a Venetian-style mask to wear and are told that no talking at all is allowed.
Not only do you not speak, but beyond quite a bit of wailing, sobbing, muttering, and other incidental noises, the actors remain silent as well, telling the story through an artful combination of movement and dance, with music, lighting, and of course, ambiance, helping set the scene. As an audience member, not only are you given free reign to wander the halls of what feels like someone's crazy dream, but you're encouraged to explore the different environments - whether by reading the letters strewn about, poking through cabinets or just sitting and taking it all in - while the action literally unfolds around you. You either follow after the actors as they walk, stumble, and often run through rooms and up and downs staircases, interacting with each other, and very occasionally, you, along the way. You don't have to follow the actors, but when you see someone covered in blood stumbling through the hallways, I don't know about you, but I'm chasing after them to see what will happen next. So if you're in New York City and looking for a truly incredible experience, I would highly recommend trying to get tickets to see Sleep No More. Get in as early as possible to give yourself as much time as you can to explore and watch the action, wear comfortable shoes so that you can chase after the actors when the opportunity presents itself, read up on your Macbeth so that you have a least some outline of the story to go on, and be prepared to get split up from the person you might have come with (Patrick and I got split up right at the beginning, found each other, lost each other, and then found each other again). Also, with quite a bit of nudity and some mess-with-your-mind imagery, no one under 16 is admitted. Of course, as creepy as Sleep No More is, more than anything else, it's an unforgettable experience that's a whole lot of fun.
I decided that May's Designer of the Month would be timely. I wanted to chose a contemporary designer whose work spoke to a modern audience, and Alexander McQueen seemed like the perfect choice. From Kate Middleton's stunning Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen dress to the designer's current retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the immediacy of McQueen coupled with the fact that in 2 years, I've yet to look specifically at a fashion designer as my Designer of the Month, really does make him the perfect choice.
Alexander Mcqueen. Photograph by Raymond Ezquerra.
Born in London on March 17, 1969, Lee Alexander McQueen (1969-2010) was a fashion designer who brought a fantastic imagination and sense of theatrics and artistry to all of his creations. As the youngest of six children, McQueen never quite fit in at home. His eccentricities were evident from an early age, as was his homosexuality - he was often bullied and teased at school - causing McQueen to retreat into his own world, where he made fashion his means of escape.[2] His visions, often dark and not necessarily wearable, may seem more like works of art than clothing, but McQueen got his start in the fashion world in the most traditional of ways.
Alexander McQueen, Ensemble, from the collection "It’s a Jungle Out There," autumn/winter 1997–98. Jacket of brown pony skin with impala horns, trousers of bleached denim. Courtesy of Alexander McQueen and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Photography by Sølve Sundsbø.
I've always found fashion to be a very tricky thing. It's something that inspires strong emotions, both good and bad, in many people. Unlike architects, whose work often takes years, and for whom it's easy to pick out a handful of exceptional examples to focus on, fashion is very much a seasonal pursuit, and new collections are very much dependent on the weather. As a result, instead of doing things thematically, I'm going much broader this month, discussing McQueen's life and showing examples of his designs over the course of the next three weeks. I hope you'll all join me.
[1] Kristin Knox, "Introduction," in Alexander McQueen: Genius of A Generation (London: A & C Black Publishers Limited, 2010), 7.
This week's Blog About It has a distinct New York City theme. The blogs Scouting New York and The Makers Project are both just so interesting that they make me appreciate living here all the more.
As a New York City resident, while I like to think that I have a pretty good handle on this town, my knowledge of both the interesting and historical is nothing compared to Nick Carr's, of Scouting New York. As a location scout for films, Nick has been all over the city, and has a knack for finding some truly incredible sites.
As Nick explains of his fascinating blog:
My name is Nick Carr, and for the past four years, I’ve worked as a New York City movie location scout. I’ve been pretty much everywhere, from the highest rooftops to the deepest subway tunnels, from abandoned ruins to zillion-dollar luxury penthouse apartments.
What always amazes me about New York is how much there is to see if you take the time to look. Every street has a hidden gem or two, and yet they go largely ignored by thousands of passersby daily who simply don’t have the time to pay attention.
As it happens, my entire job consists of paying attention, and I’ve started this blog to keep a record of what I see.
For all of the nearly 6 years I've lived in New York City, I've been lucky enough to call the borough of Brooklyn home. Jennifer Causey is also a resident and lover of Brooklyn, and her wonderful photo project, The Makers Project, is her way of showing the many talented people who also live and work in Brooklyn.
While this project is still fairly new, with her keen eye for detail, Jennifer has managed to capture some fantastic Brooklyn-based makers at work, including such diverse artists, designers and entrepreneurs as printmaker Lena Corwin, designer Shabad, food stylists The Jewels of New York, and candy makers Liddabit Sweets. As Jennifer explains:
I am lucky to live in Brooklyn, New York. It’s a place full of energy and creative spirit; located close enough to the lights and frenetic energy of Manhattan to have a big city feel, yet far away enough to give a sense of space and small town community. In this hectic, industrialized modern world, I am constantly seeking handmade and artisan-produced products. I love discovering people who embrace a more tactile way of living, so I decided to start photographing them. When my project began, I knew I was photographing people who make things, but I soon realized I was also photographing people who make things happen. As the project evolves, so does the adventure and pleasure of documenting the people behind the products: to learn what inspires them, what keeps them going, and their thoughts on the city where they live and work.
Well you guys, I've officially added "slides" as one of my blog labels. There's simply no denying the fact that indoor slides are amazing, and I just can't get enough. This particular slide was created by Turett Collaborative Architects for a New York City, East Village condo:
TCA has had a lot of experience connecting smaller apartments together into a seamless whole, but this adventurous client requested something we'd never seen before. In a newly constructed multi-residential development, in the East Village of NYC, TCA had the opportunity to meet a unique client's desire to combine two penthouse condos... with a helical slide. In this transformation, two identical 1-bedroom units, one atop the other, were combined into a duplex 2-bedroom home with the option to descend in the usual way on a new Italian-made "Rintal" stair, or more speedily, in a seated position, careening through the new double-height atrium.
Now, I don't normally talk too much about food here, candy especially, but truth be told, I am a girl with a sweet tooth. Check either my refrigerator or freezer on any given day, and you are guaranteed to find at least one form of chocolate in there. Yes, I like my chocolate cold, but not only that, I like my chocolate good. Which is why when I came across Liddabit Sweets' range of locally sourced, small-batch produced confections in one of my neighborhood shops, I knew that I just couldn't resist. Aren't these photographs of their products just so incredibly tempting?
It was the honeycomb candy - made from local honey and dipped in chocolate - that first got me, but I've since fallen for many of their other products as well. Anyone who makes their own candy bars is good by me, especially with flavors like pj&j, passion spice and 'the king', and I love me some sea salt caramels, but it's the barley/honey lollipops that I find truly irresistible. Who knew that toasted barley and honey were the perfect lollipop flavor? In fact, I think I'll go into my refrigerator and have one right now.
I just wanted to mention that no one from Liddabit Sweets asked me to post this, I just really do love their products that much. If there is anyone out there who is interested in becoming a sponsor, however, please do let me know, and we can chat about logistics.
