In this trip we went to the Museum of the City of New York where we visited two specific exhibitions one which is called the Interior Lives: Contemporary Photographs of Chinese New Yorkers With photographs by Thomas Holton, Annie Ling, An Rong Xu, but focusing on Annie Ling’s work, once entering this exhibition you notice that the photographic works are all placed around the walls in a squared boxed room with dimmed down lights, as well the are also artworks that hanging from the middle of the room which has each artist work in order. In the second exhibition Through a Different Lens: Stanley Kubrick Photographs, to get to this exhibit you would go to the second floor to the left all the way to the end where you will see a huge black and white image and as you turn to the right you will once notice that is this exhibition compare to the first one is bright and has it’s walls painted white and has a dynamic feel as there is walls the go in diagonal directions pointed towards the years that are in chronological order and bolded in a red block. With whole collection of photos shows how Stanley Kubrick’s evolution in photograph has progress from working into LIFE magazine and so on to working to film.
Focusing on Annie ling’s photographic works, she focuses her photos on the Chinese immigrants laborers living in 81 Bowery which the last ever known lodging houses in NYC and how there lives where living in cubicles and their story. For example in one of her photo she captures these friends eating in a tight in cubicle but eating calmly and just working with what they have as well as Mr.Ling who shows that he is confident and ready to work. and how the survive without a kitchen. The artist intention is to show the the struggle but how the people embrace that these people try to work with what they have as shown.
In Stanley Kubrick’s photographs he focuses on NYC but with his work he describes his vision on New York city is hustle and this is shown in both of these photographs one called “Shoeshine Boy” Oct 6, 1947 which shows a boy name Mickey who is asking people if they want their shoes shined, as well another example of Kubrick’s vision of NYC is in the photo called “Advertising Sign Painters at Work” Sept 3, 1947. Which shows two men painting a model for an advertisement on a building wall high in the air if fifth avenue and 42nd street. I do think that Kubrick does a swell job in emphasizing the hustle feel of NYC.
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Finally my favorite photo is from Through a Different Lens: Stanley Kubrick Photographs gallery is this one that depicts two people who are close and intimate. In this photo I also Love the way there is a side light on them both and creating a dark shadow. as well I like Kubrick’s use of rule of thirds having the focus on the couple as well as the the focus on the drunk on the floor. also I like the slight diagonal the is created by the mosaic sign to create direction and perspective.
The exhibit design of the two shows was quite different. I am not sure why the dim lights were chosen for the Interior Lives show and the brighter look for the Kubrick show. the dimmer lights maybe promote a more intimate feeling like inside a home and that show is about the private spaces of the Lams and the residents of 81 Bowery. the Kubrick photos are mostly set in public space.
You did a great job of finding some common ground between the shows. I think in both the idea of New York as a place where people come to work, to get ahead, as a place of opportunity whether it is the shoe shine boy, the advertising painters or model or the Chinese laborers is visible. The last picture you chose is an important reminder that this hopeful image has a dark underside.