Constant Commotion (Site Visit 1)

Our iMovie project is centered around the New York City Subway. The subway is the great equalizer. Everyone takes it, from your local schoolteacher to businessman or nurse. It’s a necessary part of everyone’s New York experience, and thus a melting pot of both people and experiences. If one just takes a second to look around, you can notice a lot. Who just took a shower 10 minutes before getting onto the train; their hair still glossy wet. Who is off to work at a hospital, their scrubs on or in a bag. You notice those who are impatient, constantly checking their watch or shifting their weight from one foot to another. Sometimes you can get some silent fashion advice from those who put themselves together well. So much can be seen. But I’m not out to glorify the subway. It can be fantastically useful, even fun at times when a good performer comes on to the train. But often you just want to be alone, not crammed into your seat, or while standing, jostled around by the hundreds of people coming in and out of the train at every single stop. The smell of sweat when some asshole decided not to put on deodorant, and just keeps his arm raised the entire train ride. A performer steps on that really shouldn’t be performing anymore, their voice and musical skills are not quite there, and you end up listening to screeching strings through your morning headache. Or maybe you have one of those scary moments, where you’re alone in the train car at night, and some creepy guy comes on, and you can’t help but let your imagination run wild. All in all the subway is an urban space rich with experiences, one we take for granted, but is certainly there for us each day.