Duality: Conceal and Reveal
Can yOu Neglect New york and its people whEn new york Creates identity and vibrant Togetherness?
CONNECT. PERCEIVE.
Delve into the “concealed” and “revealed”; see the city’s dual spirit unfold.
CONNECT. PERCEIVE.
Delve into the “concealed” and “revealed”; see the city’s dual spirit unfold.
Zaeem Khan, Faye Shemper, Francesca Jereis, and Alex Ihnatenko
In our project, we wanted to show how the pandemic has emphasized a duality of our “former” lives and completely reimagined that duality- the difference between what is seen and revealed and what is hidden. We have witnessed vast changes in the norm we once knew in regard to this polarity. In life, that which was commonly in plain sight has become concealed, such as the bottom half of someone’s face or large gatherings. Our covers show us something that was never possible in a pre-pandemic world simply because of what we accepted as our societal norms, but they likewise point to humanity’s unbelievably quick and impressive ability to adjust.
We came up with the idea of duality as our central theme because it relates to how much the pandemic has forced society to adapt. Many restaurants have been forced to open up outdoor dining to make ends meet. Reunions, conferences, and events similarly moved outside- into parks, streets, and backyards. Our images take this into account and build a comparison between life pre-pandemic and during the pandemic. The cover focuses on individual observation as we knew it a year ago and as we know it now. The concepts of the duality of the “concealed” and “revealed” and what the eye and mind choose to perceive then cross into a more public arena, as displayed by our second image. The zine creation process really got us to think about the ever-changing society we live in; humans and conditions are always adapting to the time period, and we’d even go so far as to say adapting is what we do best. It is therefore intriguing to observe a public space we are used to seeing indoors- such as a sculpture gallery- outdoors, and an art form we are accustomed to seeing outdoors- such as graffiti- indoors. Many public spaces leave much open to one’s imagination, and it is these public spaces that we found a new appreciation for and discovered their essence in society.
