If youve ever paid attention to the architecture of Bobst, everything is angular. There are no curves in that god-forsaken building. God-forsaken not in the sense that its dilapidated rather, that its uninspiring. The atrium floor is mesmerizing, but as you look up, physically mimicking the act of worship, all you see are square light panels: bleak, bland and blinding. Perhaps its a blank canvas, one on which you can project your own dreams about making it in New York City.
New Yorks greatness is one of modernitys most fascinating myths capturing the most archetypal imaginations, so ubiquitous that it smudges the epistemological line between fiction and reality, where mythology becomes history and history becomes mythology.
Mythology signifies the will to exist and the denial of death. Predecessors mythologized with vigor to inspire and reinforce the meaning of existence. But as vigor withers away, myths stultify into rigid norms and traditions, cliched at best and disillusioned at worst.
The Statue of Liberty stands as a towering monument to American myths like freedom, opportunity and hope. It was the symbolic beacon for immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Now it is a tourist destination, a small landmark to look out for if youre enjoying the south-facing views from Lower Manhattan, dwarfed by the downtown skyscrapers. The Statue of Liberty represents an idealism that has faded into history: still there, but not what it used to be.
The Western God was handed his philosophical death sentence at the turn of the 20th century. In the search for a secular belief to fill the ideological void, New York City mythologizes the greatest atheist narrative of the modern time. At the time, New York was the commercial nexus of the United States, in charge of almost half of all imports and exports. Underpinned by its diverse population and American capitalism, the culture industries the standardization and mechanical reproduction of cultural and artistic works under capitalism in New York rose to prominence. With the aid of Madison Avenue advertisers, the culture industry fulfilled New Yorks postmodern prophecy when it manufactured a simulacrum of New York City so towering it overshadows the original. New York is what it is, but its self-perpetuating myth edges toward pure simulacrum.
New York City lies in the unconscious of the Gen Z zeitgeist since the turn of the millennium, at least in part due to 9/11. Growing up in Taiwan, I have always known of a city far, far away called New York and learned of its conventional magnificence. In a way, I consumed reproductions from the culture industry, the standardized narrative of New York as one of the most developed cities in the world. I would naturally want to visit this city, be awed by its vibrance, and shocked by its abhorrent expensiveness and mechanical pace.
It was not until I started watching Casey Neistat vlogs and getting into photography that the myth began to take a toll on me. Back in 2015, Neistat made daily vlogs documenting how he hustled his way from a broke nobody to an indie filmmaker in New York City, glorifying the city and developing a cult-like following around his relentless and perhaps toxic work ethic in the process. His vlogs and histories of how photographers made their name in the city seeped into my consciousness, nourishing a quasi-religious impulse that blossoms into an idealism about New York City.
That was my sole reason to come to NYU to be a part of it, New York, New York. Coming to the city as a college student, I thought I had devised an ingenious solution to take risks for four years in this city without having to worry about survival while doing so.
Unbeknownst to me, idealism is like the Titanic, charting its course toward New York City with grand ambitions, oblivious of its impending doom. I wanted to make it as a street photographer in New York City, like how street photographers before me did in the good old days. It wasnt until I walked into the museums in the city that I realized everything I wanted to do and could think of had already been done. There are pictures of every single street corner of Manhattan. Specializing in street photography no longer has the same vigor and prestige as when Joel Meyerowitz walked up and down Fifth Avenue for decades or when Bruce Gilden snapped flash photos of people right in their face on the streets of New York. Even if I were to make it, lined up in front of me are hundreds of more experienced and talented street photographers. The frontier has settled into an established town, treasures discovered, legends made and the unknown explored.
Cultures are most energetic, disruptive and exciting at their genesis. Once they begin to propagate as a form of idealism, they have already stultified into norms, traditions and institutions. Photography seen in the galleries in the most run-down part of town is vitalizing. Photography seen in the Museum of Modern Art means it has established itself in the public consciousness. Photography in the Metropolitan Museum of Art means its creativity has legitimized into a tradition. Photography seen on the walls of luxury condos and skyscrapers means the culture industry has successfully appropriated the art, and the cause is lost. Idealism gradually becomes untenable. Holding onto nostalgia is walking forward in thickened mud or trailblazing in known territory.
The culture industry manufactures idealism into the oppressive structure it once set out to disrupt. History reiterates itself. The stultified structure awaits the next revolution to topple its oppressive regime. The process of genesis, growth, institutionalization, destruction and recuperation endlessly reincarnates itself.
To move beyond idealism means to trace the movement back to its roots and recuperate the creative energy, to interiorize the exteriority of New York City propped up by the culture industry and to reverse the postmodern mimesis. In lay terms: regulating social media use rather than consuming products of mass media, straying away from daily routines, and paying meticulous attention to your reaction to every irregularity in the city might help to move beyond the cliche idealism. Even though post-structuralists have deconstructed virtues like sensibility and intuition, the Kantian pure reason, searching for individual interiority serves the same function as identifying discursive systems and ideating counternarratives the post-structuralists embrace.
Inward reflection fuels the light that guides us out of the looming specter of stultified idealism. Instead of conforming to what New York City is, make New York City your own. New York City cannot be the city of your dreams, but it can be the city on which you build your dreams.
Street photography is about finding the surreal within the real. The surreal breaks free from the constraints of the real, norms and traditions, opening up new avenues. In this case, the avenue is Seventh Avenue. At the intersection with Greenwich Avenue, the steam coming from the manhole, shining under the street light, resembles how the moon would shine onto shifting clouds.
Taken on the first snow day of 2022, this scene casts the city in a light contrary to its conventional image. New York can be quiet, solitary and calm despite the heavy snow. There are no people, but you can put the pieces together. The scene shows no iconic New York City streets, but its iconic New York City.
Unconstrained by the linearity of the regular city streets, the parks liberate the imaginations and compositions. This scene is a self-portrait of the photographer, seen contemplating how New York City is wrapped up into a giant ball of cliches and how to move beyond.
Original post:
New York cannot be the city of your dreams - Washington Square News
- NBC Has a Huge Opportunity with Law & Order: SVU's 25th Season - CBR - Comic Book Resources - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Seeding a gay community in LA, the gay liberation revolution - Los Angeles Blade - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Britney Spears's 'Baby One More Time' music video debuted on ... - Yahoo Entertainment - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- 13 Of The Greatest And Most Famous Britpop Bands - Hello Music Theory - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The top advertising campaigns of 2023 according to Australian ... - AdNews - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- The 25 Best New Movies Streaming in November 2023 - TheWrap - November 30th, 2023 [November 30th, 2023]
- Jets' Aaron Rodgers 'attacking' rehab, eyes return this season - WABC-TV - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- ESG counteroffensive is missing big guns - POLITICO - POLITICO - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The increasingly radical climate movement, explained - Vox.com - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Imani Winds inspires with recital celebrating composers of color at ... - EarRelevant - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Super Models Tells the Story of the Original Fashion Influencers - AnOther Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- What constitutes a master? Don't ask Jann Wenner The Daily ... - Daily Free Press - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Conviviality of Ivan Illich (Part I) | by O.G. Rose | Oct, 2023 ... - Medium - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- SickKids unveils more future-focused VS campaign to match new ... - The Message - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Top 6 Iconic Classic Rock Bands of the '60s - American Songwriter - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Brent Harold: The renaissance of union logic - Arizona Daily Star - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- German bishops conclude tense gathering with all eyes on Synod ... - Catholic World Report - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Slasher Saturdays: The Hills Have Eyes (1977) Vs. The Hills Have ... - Horror Obsessive - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Listen to Scott Drebit Discuss His New Book A CUT BELOW: A ... - Daily Dead - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Whitney Houston Hairstyles: Tribute to Her Unparalleled Elegance - PINKVILLA - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Frosted Lipstick, Chunky Highlights & Thick Eyeliner: Every Beauty ... - New Zealand Herald - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- From Alphas To Betas: Science Says There Are Three Types Of ... - Evie Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Russell Brand is a product of the horrifically misogynistic noughties - Prospect Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Enduring Magic of Lorde's Pure Heroine and HAIM's Days Are ... - Paste Magazine - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Climate activists: How far is too far in raising the climate alarm? - Daily Maverick - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Pride Anthems at WHBPAC June 2nd at 8PM - Hamptons.com - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The illuminating influence of Eric Huntley - Peoples Dispatch - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Want Sofia Richie Style? Try These Cheap Nordstrom Finds - Who What Wear - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- What will Saudi-Iran rapprochement mean for the Palestinians? - +972 Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- EU as Arbiter of Ideological Elegance? The European Conservative - The European Conservative - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Catholic theology yesterday and today: A Thomist's response to Dr ... - Catholic World Report - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Andy Warhol exhibition coming to College of DuPage - Chicago Tribune - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- COVER STORY | Arlo Parks Embraces the Intimacy of Aliveness - Paste Magazine - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- The Number Ones: The Black Eyed Peas' Boom Boom Pow - Stereogum - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- 7 First-time ASTRA Exhibitors You Don't Want to Miss This June - Gifts & Decorative Accessories - May 28th, 2023 [May 28th, 2023]
- Curator Lesley Lokko on the Venice Architecture Biennale: 'It's about ... - Financial Times - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- German revolution of 1848: A precursor to today's democracy - DW (English) - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Hoxton, Lloyd Amsterdam to open 21st August 2023 - Hospitality Net - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ruin America? Joe Manchin is just getting started. | Will Bunch ... - The Philadelphia Inquirer - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How the MTV logo captured the creative spirit of the 1980s - Creative Bloq - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- I give up I cant do that: The song that made David Crosby want to quit music - Far Out Magazine - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- How We Loved and Lost the Hot Girl Summer - The Swaddle - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 5 Laid Back Essentials From Faherty Prove The Hype - Fatherly - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' director Daniel Goldhaber explains the ... - The Real News Network - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- The Totally Rockin' History of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - Collider - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Was The Hunger Games Renaissance Planned All Along? - GameRant - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Michael J. Fox Looks Back on Hollywood Triumphs, Setbacks and Why Parkinsons Is the Gift That Keeps on Taking - Variety - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- It's Raining Ramen! A Brief History of Jewish Asian Fusion - Aish - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Ted Weber's Wesleyan Political Theology - Juicy Ecumenism - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- What do the British Royals and Cleopatra have in common? - Firstpost - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Pakistan Army won't bounce back easily this time. Imran Khan ... - ThePrint - May 18th, 2023 [May 18th, 2023]
- Five years since #MeToo, Tarana Burke is looking beyond the hashtag - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- After Florence Pugh Freed The Nipple, Olivia Wilde Supported The Movement On New Magazine Cover - CinemaBlend - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Barbara Kay: The Movement to Normalize Pedophilia Hits a Roadblock, but We Mustn't Let Our Guard Down - The Epoch Times - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Is it Time to Decolonize Global Health Data? - Research Blog - Duke University - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesnt Think Women Talking Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo Entertainment - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Can the Congress rewrite its chronicle of a death foretold? - Scroll.in - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- We need a strong nationalist as a president - Daily Sun - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The 19th Century Movement to Canonize Columbus - Catholic Exchange - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Audemars Piguet toasts 50 years of Royal Oak with new watches, book - New York Post - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Claire Foy Doesn't Think 'Women Talking' Could Have Been Made Before #MeToo - Yahoo! Voices - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Best Bets: 6 nights of live music at Wussow's and more - Duluth News Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Five Burning Questions: Bad Bunny Spends a 13th Week at No. 1 With Un Verano Sin Ti - Billboard - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- San Diego artist uses creativity to uplift Black culture and 'determine how we are seen' - The San Diego Union-Tribune - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- The Premier League at thirty - what should it sound like next? - Broadcast - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Steve Braunias on Peter Ellis case: 'Moral panic, contaminated evidence and an innocent ghost' - New Zealand Herald - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Constituency Statutes: The Overlooked Predecessor to the ESG Movement - JD Supra - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 10 books to add to your reading list in October 2022 - Los Angeles Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The Multiple Religions Coexisting Within the Catholic Church - Crisis Magazine - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 2023 Oscar Predictions The Rules of the Game - Awards Daily - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Kathy Sheridan: Brace yourselves for where Giorgia Meloni and Italy end up - The Irish Times - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The rise and fall of Sir Philip Green, the retail king who fell from grace - Evening Standard - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- The lying flat movement standing in the way of China ... - Brookings - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Namwali Serpell Distills the Disorienting Experience of Grief in 'The Furrows' - Shondaland.com - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Dance & House Music Ruled the Summer. What Now? - Complex - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- It is time to back a new party in the elections - Morning Star Online - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- The empty feminism of Dont Worry Darling - The Guardian - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Sunburn The morning read of what's hot in Florida politics 9.26.22 - Florida Politics - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- GOP candidate Trevor Lee ran a secret Twitter account that attacked LGBTQ people and Utah Gov. Cox. Now he's been rebuked by Republican leadership. -... - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Peeling Back the Slasher-Inspired Look of HBO Maxs Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin with Cinematographer Anka Malatynska - Dread Central - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]