To walk on the high line is to experience dynamism. The bridge’s floor is composed of straight hard lines the color of concrete. These concrete colors are then juxtaposed by soft purple flowers and untamed green grass. The green and pastel blues and pink of the flowers provide us with the illusion of an urban meadow, something natural and purely a gift of serendipity. The green and the purple, the various colors sprout as expected though. Nothing is truly untouched by human influence. Everything on the High Line is intentional. The plants do not grow wild on their own accord. There are openings on the ground which appear to purposefully let the plants grow through, there are sections of dirt along the walkway fostering growth. I find that the designers of the High Line made no point to hide their hand in cultivating this nature. It seems that they intend to send the message that in this city there is no true nature that is not in one way or another man made. You are not in a “new world” here, it is the same one with the same values and the same manufactured experiences.
This idea is emphasized by the image above. I found this image to encompass the high line experience well. In this image is a section of the High Line where there is a gate and beyond that gate is a screen where various video advertisements for Coach are playing. This advertisement is a vibrant red which is quite different from the gentle colors of the flowers scattered along the bridge. Red is typically used by companies to have their products associated with feelings of excitement. The gate in the image seems to separate us from the influence of the advertisement, just as the plants on the bridge seem to separate us from the influence of human will. However, the holes in the gate allow us to view the ad. The gate allows us to become distracted by something manufactured to be distracting. This calls to mind the inescapable presence of our urban society’s true values. Consumerism surrounds us and this image reminds us of how there is no place in this city that is untouched by this value, just as there is no place in this city completely free of human influence. Thus, we are not in a “new world.” Instead, we are faced with the same experiences manufactured to enchant us.
This is a great analysis of the High Line! I also noticed the advertisement that was playing within the building during the walk and it truly shows how influenced we are by the capitalistic values that society holds. I like how you used colors to juxtapose the lighter colors within nature with the bright red that the advertisement used which was probably why it caught my eye through the glass screen. I also agree with the idea that we are in a world where nature is blended in with “human influence” which is exactly what the High Line consists of.
I am astonished by how much you were able to write about one picture. I never really thought about the plants the way you did. Interestingly enough, I always thought of the park as a “new world” just because it provides us with that we are not used to. Everything about the park showed things in a different light. I also really like your analysis of the gate. I knew it had purpose, but I did really think about how it is used as a distraction. You really captured the essence of the High Line!