The banner image for Professor de Graauw’s class, “The Stories of Us” (IDC3001H), Inspired by the unique and dynamic NYC.
Professor de Graauw asked me to create the banner image for her class website. She requested that it relate to NYC and immigration. I thought it would be a fun idea to make a kind of paper cutout collage, because NYC is really a collage of different cultures put together, of all different shapes and colors. Notice no two buildings are the same. I made a sun-clock because New Yorkers are all about time and going somewhere. What makes New York, well, New York, is that the subways are filled with people who are in a hurry, whether they’re going to school,work, parties, and all that jazz. My piece represents the old juxtaposed with the new – the Fords and modern Taxis. Vintage vs. color photos. A bridge to the past and future of New York. And of course, each set of windows carry their own sets of stories. Notice Lady Liberty is in the center of it all, like a centerpiece to a table of diverse foods. She holds her torch high, guiding the city, a beacon of hope. For so many immigrants, it was the first glimpse of the U.S.A. I feel like the center is only the most appropriate place to put her.
By the way, if you squint really hard, you’ll see the MTA subway map in the background.
