Walking through the crowded bustling streets of the energetic and glamorous Soho, I would have never have imagined this to have once been a city of drugs and poverty. Yet, my preconceived notions were proven wrong by an interview with a helpful worker at an old art gallery. Phyllis explained to us how slowly throughout the decades the area of Soho changed dramatically into the expensive, ritzy, artistic area it is today. I found this especially interesting because it ties in with the conversation we have been having about gentrification. Soho is a prime example of what happens when a slum is dramatically transformed into a much nicer and expensive area. On the one hand, it is a good thing because the neighborhood becomes a lot nicer and safer as a result. But on the other hand, those people who have lived in the neighborhood and can’t afford the rising prices of the up and coming area are forced to move out. It is weird thinking about people in Soho once struggling to keep up with ends meet because when I walked through the streets of Soho, all I saw were young hipsters and elegantly dressed fashionistas. The people themselves “are walking art,” as one lady we interviewed had remarked.
It is true though. Everywhere I looked Soho was filled with some kind of artwork. There was graffiti all over the walls. Galleries filled the streets. The people that surrounded me all dressed as if their own bodies were a blank canvas ready to be painted on by the many fashion choices they made. I found it ironic because although I am usually not one to be entranced by glamour, I found myself amazed and in love with everything around me.
One really amazing part of Soho was the architecture. One glance at the buildings and you could tell that they were made really long ago. They are apparently called Cast Iron Buildings and are a trademark for the type of architecture in Soho. It was especially interesting interviewing a German tourist about the architecture because he was amazed by the buildings in Soho. He found beauty in the apartments that lined the streets.
Which lead to me think: what is beauty and artwork? Can’t architecture be a certain form of art? I wondered if the people who built the extravagant Cast Iron Buildings thought of their job as simply construction or as art as well. I wondered if they spent lots of time thinking of the arch of the stairway or the angle of the roof. Doesn’t every precise detail add to the overall effect of the building, just as the details do in a painting? In many ways, I don’t think art is limited to just painting, writing, singing, dancing, etc. anymore. I think art is a lot more vague and open than before. Art is what you make of it and what you intend to be meaningful to you, as the creator.
