This image embodies the spirit and aesthetic of the High Line. Initially, the photo seems filled with the image of the old, vandalized, red-bricked building. On second glance, there’s the juxtaposition of the old building with the new skyscrapers complete with intricate designs and expensive materials. There’s an obtrusive tree that overlaps the old and the new, but the reason I chose this picture to represent the High Line is because of the people in it.
On the left, you see a couple. There is a girl dressed in dark colors who angles her body towards the boy she is with. They are both grinning and if you look closely enough, you can see the stems protruding from a bouquet of flower next to the boy dressed in bright blue. They are completely unaware that I, like a creep, am taking a picture of them. They are immersed in their own world, utilizing the High Line as a romantic location. It almost even goes into the history of the High Line- the spot was supposed to be one that imbued culture, but turned into a hot, new tourist attraction acting less like a park and more like a business . The High Line became something romanticized.
Just next to them, is a lone young man on his phone. He, or at least his shirt, almost blends into the background. On the High Line, you become a part of the High Line -a part of the art that everyone observes. We passed a man with a pink umbrella, a bunch of performers, a pride flag, sculptures and other objects that were all equally a part of the experience of the High Line. It seemed like everyone in the High Line was either there with their significant other, their family or alone, but everyone still blends into High Line. Even with the performers, sometimes I couldn’t tell if the people watching were a part of the performance.
We, as a class, were a little more like the obtrusive tree in the picture-at least at the very beginning. We blocked the path for other people and some people even stopped and watched us take our picture, almost like we were performers. But by the end, when we found benches to talk on or spots to marvel at, we became equal parts of the High Line.
I really enjoy how your commentary emphasizes the role that the people of the High Line plays. I can really see that without the people in your photo and in this massively special landmark, it becomes just another set of railings and plants. Although I don’t believe that art needs human subjects to be powerful, I think you make a strong and poignant statement that the High Line’s personality and charm really shine through in the way that people interact with it. They use it as a gathering place, a focal point of meditation, somewhere to walk and breathe in nature, and as you point out numerous times, a place to fall in love.