In my City Stories Project, I attempted to show how individuals are both shaped by and shapers of New York City. I did this by photographing 16 students and asking them questions relating to the present and future of New York, as well as taking their photograph. Afterwards, I took the portraits and arranged them into two 4×4 collages, with each of their one-word answers placed on a black censor bar over the corresponding individual’s eyes. In doing so, I was trying to show that, in a way, their answers were more representative of their being than their own physical identities.
To make this a ‘gesamtkunstwerk’–or total art–I would place the collages (blown up) on a large, black wall. Over one of the collages would be painted the word “PRESENT” in red, and “FUTURE” over the other. Under each collage, the questions I asked would be written in white. Directly beneath the questions, I would mount a mirror to the wall (closer to the ground). On the mirrors, at about eye-level, I would paint a black sensor bar in chalkboard paint; and between the mirrors, I would place a silver tray on a small table with a piece of chalk and an eraser. When people enter the exhibit, they could walk up to the mirror and write their answers to the questions stated above each mirror. Afterwards, people would be welcome to take pictures, linger for a moment, or just leave.
By adding these immersive elements, more than just 16 people would be able to think about themselves in this specific context–rather how they view themselves AND the city. Although they would be viewing themselves individually, the exhibit would allow them to think about the relationship between themselves and their surroundings in a greater sense.
