urban mundane still metropolis / 2000 - 2001
In order to escape the more populous and noisy neighborhoods of Manhattan, I recently started seeking out areas with very few if any people during certain hours throughout the week. I discovered an urban landscape, serene and beautiful, which had otherwise been veiled by the commotion and tumult of the crowds. It was like a stage that the performers had just cleared.
In the absence of actors, the set took on an unusual, more powerful presence. The natural terrain combined with the large buildings to form the basic structure, and was complemented by details such as barricades, parked cars, billboards and street signs, to name a few. At particular vantage points, these various aggregate elements produced incidental yet harmonious installations, ideal for photographic compositions.
To date, the series includes over 500 images from New York City, Brooklyn, Vienna, Hanover and Munich. It is an ongoing project with a formal approach that has evolved from years of photographing the urban landscape.
