Through my project ‘Binding the Spirit of New York’, I want to draw attention to the underlying spirit and energy that runs through New York and makes the city what it is. I want my project to not only focus on the superficial aspects of living in New York––the sights, locations, sounds––but the feelings and emotions that these superficial aspects illicit in native New Yorkers. I chose the medium of bookbinding to display the concept of my project because I love to read, and I’ve always felt that the best books are the ones whose contents make you feel something. That’s what I want my book to do; I want its contents to make my audience feel love for the city.
The book will be filled with collages of different mediums, like poems, articles, prose, and photographs. My book will be a melting pot of different forms of artistic expression, much like the city itself. Then variety in the content of the book will help to serve the purpose of embodying the spirit of New York and emulating what makes New York so unique in comparison to other cities. The collage aspect, I hope, will be reminiscent of, a sort of, New York authenticity. When people look at my book, I want them to get a taste of New York. I want them to find in it what I think makes New York what it is.
I also feel that my project is fitting when it comes to the way in which I am going to display it. Making a book and filling it with words and images that embrace and embody New York, is very true to New York in and of itself. Some of the greatest artists, writers, poets, and musicians came out of New York, so to base my project around making a book and filling it with photos and words about New York, stays true to that identity. I feel as though many people when they think of New York, think of Times Square and Wall, but never consider the more artistic, less touristy and finance-oriented side of the city. That’s what I want my book to reveal. I want viewers to gain a deeper love and appreciation for New York City. I want my book to truly capture the essential spirit of New York that makes it so special.
Khaya’s idea for her book relates in many ways to ours. She says that she wants her audience to feel love for the city, and we want our audience to feel love in the city. Her book wants to encapsulate the essence of New York and so does ours. Even though she’s focusing more on the bookbinding itself while we’re focusing more on the poems, in the end, the book is what will first catch peoples’ attention. The way our book looks will be a huge factor determining whether or not people will want to pick it up and look through it. Khaya wants her audience to gain a deeper love and appreciation for New York and to encourage them to be more aware of their surroundings. We hope our audience will walk away with the same idea: a deeper feeling and love towards New York.