Professor Prabal De, CCNY 2014
Alexander Chait
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Posts by Alexander Chait
What Once Was
011 years
It has been absolutely thrilling for me to see Harlem from a new perspective; one that I had been oblivious to for quite some time. I have been seemingly unaware of my Harlem surroundings due to my preoccupation with school. I was then given the opportunity to remove myself from the stresses of school and just walk around in the surrounding area, and given the ability to observe the beauty and history of Harlem. I feel somewhat blessed to attend school in an area bound by such a rich culture. One of the most disturbing observations that I made was the fact that the city is not preserving the historic monuments of Harlem. As the city paves the way for the future, they are not hesitant in tearing down the structures representing the past, which is ironic because it is the richness of Harlem’s past which has made the future of the area possible. A very interesting fact that I learned during the walking tour was that there was initially an immense amounts of discrimination exercised in the foundation of Harlem. When Harlem was first established it would not allow minorities, specifically African-Americans, from moving into the neighborhood. Eventually, the landlords allowed minorities to move in, but they had to be affluent in order to do so, which for many was a very steep requirement. This is so ironical now, due to the fact that Harlem is now predominately inhabited by minorities. With the current gentrification of Harlem, the ethnic diversity is changing, and the story of Harlem is once again coming full circle. It may occur again that Harlem is an area in which only the very affluent can live. Harlem should be gentrified in a way in which there exists a balance between preserving the past while making room for the future, as well as affording an equality in who could afford to live in the area.
Here we see the Harlem 5 Basketball Stadium in ruins, and soon to be demolished, despite the fact that it was an integral part of the community and the foundation of Harlem.
Here we see remnants of the original buildings of Harlem, still beautifully preserved.
Here we see what once was immense, beautiful and the embodiment of Harlem is now being demolished for the future. However, is this the future that we want, one that is ignorant and not respectful to the past?
In the Heights
011 years
New York City is astounding. There is no other place in the world that encompasses the same amount of diversity as that within its 468 square miles. The Hudson Heights neighborhood visit exemplifies and is a testament to this wondrous quality of NYC. The impression that Hudson Heights radiates is unlike any other part of the city—one that emulates a quaint, peaceful Victorian village full of Gothic era apartment complexes, rather than a booming metropolis that never sleeps. It’s hard to imagine that this area, which is comprised of less than 50-blocks, and a 15-minute trip by public transportation from mid-town Manhattan, truly exists amidst the all too stereotypical viewpoint of New York City. The amount of history that is contained in Hudson Heights is overwhelming; the area has been subject to so many influences over the course of its relatively short life span, and all of these influences have culminated into what is currently observable.
Fort Tryon Park was an esthetically pleasing park. Although it was a rather overcast day, it would be safe to say that on a beautiful sunny day during the pinnacle of Spring, the park would be glorious. The views of the Hudson River and New Jersey on the other side were juxtaposed with the West Side Highway that ran underneath us. This juxtaposition demonstrates how much we have advanced as a city and in doing so, how much we have altered the natural beauty of the area, to make it all possible. One of the biggest losses as a result of urbanization is the loss of the natural beauty of NYC.
During the last part of our neighborhood walk we visited Dyckman Farm House. It is amazing to see how antiquated this building is and what it currently represents; for example sustenance agriculture. Again, the juxtaposition of the old with the new is incredible. Dyckman Farm house is surrounded on all sides by tall buildings, billboards, restaurants, supermarkets, and everything in between.
New York City is such a wonderful place to be because there is such immense dichotomy everywhere one looks. I have always known that this existed, but this vision was made so vividly made and so much more evident from our visit. From Chinatown to the Bronx, you never know how wonderful and diverse the city of New York City and its inhabitants are until you experience it yourself.
Eyes on Bangladesh Reflection
011 years
The “Eyes on Bangladesh” photography exhibition was an honest and gritty recount of the past and present events that have culminated into the current embodiment of Bangladesh. It is refreshing not to see a minimization of some of the country’s flaws, even if it didn’t outright embrace these imperfections.
The particular photographic series showing the discrepancy between and the dichotomy of treatment of house servants had a very poignant effect on me. The differences in the ways the “servants” and their “masters” presented themselves are a testament to such shortcomings of this somewhat newly formed country. For example the faces of the masters expressed contentment, satisfaction, and serenity—ones that show the enjoyment they have as a result of the way their lives have fallen into place—while on the other hand, the faces of the servants were ones of exhaust, distress, and discomfort with their situation. The story that was related of servants not being able to sit on their master’s couch is allegorical and really is symbolic of a larger problem that is presented in the Bengali culture.
Another particular photographic series, which appeared to be very sentimental and exemplary of Bangladesh, was the avant-garde art display of the phone call conversation, which takes a stance on mental health awareness. It is very disturbing in this day and age, to see the overwhelming stigma associated with persons afflicted with mental health issues, which certainly hinders the progress should be made in dealing with psychiatric issues. The artwork seemed to be presented in a nostalgic fashion, yet desiring to change the past, but I would also interpret the photographs as presenting something positive in the future.
The final photographic series expresses the sentiments and aspirations of the Bangladeshi people, which parallel the desires and hopes of the country. The curatorial intentions of this exhibit were successful in presenting an accurate depiction of Bangladesh, its people and its challenges.
The “New” New York Reevaluation
011 years
by Alexander Chait
in Census Data
There seems to be a large discrepancy between what people can earn in Manhattan versus what type of housing they can afford in Manhattan. According to the Department of Labor, the average minimum wage, as of December 31, 2013, was $8.00. According to the New York Times, as of January 18, 2013, the average Manhattan apartment costs $3,973 A MONTH. The disparity of wages to housing expenses is exorbitant. It is not seemingly possible for a person working an average amount of hours per year, which is 2,088 hours to afford to live close to where they work in New York City. Based upon the national average, a New Yorker earning the minimum wage will only earn $16,704, BEFORE TAXES. This does not even take into account other cost of other living expenses, such as food, health care, transportation, clothing, or other miscellaneous expenses. Although New York has traditionally opened its doors to “…your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”, it will not be able to provide you with affordable housing or lifestyle
Instead of New York City being the gleaming city, that was once a symbol of freedom, opportunity and the American Dream—it has slowly been evolving into a more materialistic beast—one that does not make any provisions for those beloved low wage earners who keep the city productive and growing. The average apartment in the Bronx Costs $2258, in Queens it is $3449, in Brooklyn it is $3758, and lastly, in Staten Island it is $1888 a month. The exponentially increasing cost of living outpaces any minimum wage increase. As a result, the disparity between the rich and the poor in the city continues to expand, and the working poor cannot live a decent, simple existence within the five boroughs. New York City is certainly representative of a melting pot of religion, culture and ethnicity, but there is not the same representation in financial capability. It seems to have become a city of haves and have-nots, even if the have-nots consist of hard working families trying to achieve a better life. Have we outgrown our capacity to provide a decent standard of living for our own residents? And if so, shouldn’t we be thinking of how we can ensure that each person who contributes to our city can be able to live well enough to enjoy all that it has to offer? Maybe “breathing free” has become the only thing that most people can afford in NYC.
The Links to the articles can be found here:
The “New” New York
111 years
by Alexander Chait
in Census Data
The United States of America has long appealed to the plight of the immigrant—one that is so embedded in our culture that we even etched the sonnet, “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus into the Statue of Liberty. However, the ever-dynamic New York is not the same place that immigrants flocked to in hopes of a better life. Instead, a “new” New York has emerged; one that only appeals to the extraordinarily wealthy, capable of sustaining an extravagant, grandiose lifestyle. This is a new concept that has been engrained into my consciousness and what I found particularly interesting about Joe Salvo’s talk—the fact that he quotes statistics conflicting with this concept. He stated that the percent of foreign-born people of New York City is 37.6% of the total population—a figure that has increased substantially over the recent years. However, I thought that the percent of foreign-born people living in New York City would decrease due to the exponentially increasing cost of living in New York City. Usually, immigration is synonymous with poverty, and I always imagined it to be very difficult to immigrate to New York City. This has made me question the types of immigrants who are entering New York City, as well as consider whether they are not as impoverished as in previous generations. I would personally be interested in perhaps seeing what types of professions the immigrants to New York City have, what they earned before and after they immigrated, and in addition what is the cost of living both the country they came from and in the U.S.
