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Tag Archives: collection

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New Jersey Meadowlands

  20 August 2014 , ,
The New Jersey Meadowlands, nestled between New York City and Newark, is a strange sort of in-between zone. It belongs neither to nature nor to man. The grasslands and birds of nature are abundant. So, too, are the derelict factories and warehouses. The unwanted detritus of civilization is cast off into the Meadowlands, ranging from garbage piles to noxious-smelling industries.
Millions of commuters to and from the suburbs to New York City pass through this region of indeterminate identity. Many look out the windows of passing trains, planes, and cars. Yet few care to observe the lapping tides and bizarre beauty of this unwanted strip of land. These views show various scenes from my daily train ride through the Meadowlands between Newark Broad Street and Hoboken Terminal.

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In Memory of Jimmy Hoffa
In Memory of Jimmy Hoffa
Industrial zone in the New Jersey Meadowlands
Industrial zone in the New Jersey Meadowlands
Sunset on the Passaic River
Sunset on the Passaic River
Power Generators
Power Generators
meadowlands 7
Overhead Power Lines
Overhead Power Lines
Old drawbridge at Port Newark
Old drawbridge at Port Newark
City in autumn
City in autumn
meadowlands 10
NJ Meadowlands
NJ Meadowlands
Port Newark tire yard
Port Newark tire yard
New Jersey Meadowlands
New Jersey Meadowlands
Industial beachhead at Port Newark
Industial beachhead at Port Newark
NJ Meadowlands
NJ Meadowlands
Power Generators
Power Generators
Premonition of a city on the Passaic River
Premonition of a city on the Passaic River
Factory Yard
Factory Yard
Hackensack River
Hackensack River
Railroad Station
Railroad Station
Shell Oil monopoly
Shell Oil monopoly
Dredging toxic industrial runoff buried in the river
Dredging toxic industrial runoff buried in the river
Jersey City Factories
Jersey City Factories
After hours in Port Newark
After hours in Port Newark
Hackensack River
Hackensack River
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When dinosaurs take over New York City at night

  16 June 2014 ,
In the New York City of my imagination, dinosaurs emerge from the Museum of Natural History to prowl “the city that never sleeps.” They roam the streets engaging in dinosaur-like activities: scaring people, stealing from butcher shops, and terrorizing the skyline. For one night, the city belongs to them.

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Haunting the Museum of Natural History
Haunting the Museum of Natural History
T-Rex head
T-Rex head
Dinosaurs as the Seagram Building
Dinosaurs as the Seagram Building
New York Public Library
New York Public Library
Stealing meat from Little Italy
Stealing meat from Little Italy
The city in the dinosaur's eye
The city in the dinosaur’s eye
Empire State and Chrysler Building
Empire State and Chrysler Building

My little neighborhood in Downtown Newark

  1 June 2014 ,

Washington Park in Downtown Newark

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Newark Model SmallLeft to right: Broad Street Station, Polhemus House, YWCA Building, Newark Museum, Ballantine House,
Second Presbyterian Church, American Insurance Company, Newark Public Library

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When I examine old pictures of my neighborhood in Newark’s archives, I realize that so much of my city’s built environment has vanished. This trend will continue, as it does in most cities where old buildings outlive their use. If not in the form of my city’s physical destruction, this loss is in the form of my gradual loss of childhood memories. To reconcile this, I built the below model as my own souvenir. This keepsake will forever remind me of my Newark identity.
The landmarks depicted are selected from my neighborhood and include my childhood home. The buildings are drawn with ink and pastel on thick paper, which is then cutout to form a two-dimensional silhouette. The trolleys travel back and forth down the street and are magnetically operated by a crank and hidden string beneath the street. The tracks guide the trains up, down, and into the tunnel. These trolleys are modeled on those that used to exist in Newark, long before my time here.
Perhaps, this models presents a more romanticized and idealized Newark than the city that actually exists.

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Subway Entrance
Subway Station
Newark Public Library
Newark Museum
Newsstand
Newark Museum
James Street Ensemble
Presbyterian Church / Broad St. Station
American Insurance / Public Library
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New York City in Miniature

  1 June 2014 ,
The impressive range New York’s architecture, from the humblest home to the slenderest tower, powers my inspiration to create. I aim to capture my perceptions of the bustling city through art.
With a base measuring 28 by 36 inches, I built this model in summer 2014 of wood, paper, and plastic. It contains several dozen of the city’s landmarks, skyscrapers, people, lampposts, subway stations, and a bevy of operating subway cars. Whenever I glance at my tiny creation, I rejoice in knowing that my love of New York is within the breadth of my arms.

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Animation of New York City in miniature

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Animation of one day in the New York City subway

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The chaotic city passes me when riding the NYC subway. It is a whirlwind of colorful peoples, buildings, and cultures. Each new turn of the creaking screeching train reveals new sights. At each new tunnel, there is the always the waiting for the burst of light at the end. And then, there is always the expectation of the next journey.

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NYC collage small

 

Model of Grand Central Terminal
Model of Grand Central Terminal
Model of Grand Central Terminal
Model of Grand Central Terminal
Times Square
Times Square
Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building
People
People
Flatiron
Flatiron
The Village
The Village
East River
East River
Pocket Park
Pocket Park
Chrysler & Empire
Chrysler & Empire
Midtown
Midtown
Chrsysler and Empire
Chrsysler and Empire
Bird's Eye View
Bird’s Eye View
Park Ave
Park Ave
Night Scene
Night Scene
Guggenheim
Guggenheim
East River
East River
Guggenheim
Guggenheim
Manhattan
Manhattan
nyc 6
nyc 21
New York by Night
New York by Night

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Paper cutouts

Like origami, these flat sheets fold into the shapes of three-dimensional landmarks.

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Arch & Brownstones
Dakota Bldg
SoHo
Trinity Church
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Political Cartoons

  11 May 2014
The following images are political style cartoons about nationalism, fascism, and communism. They are drawn in the pedantic and high-contrast style of propaganda images from the Soviet Union. The rigid use of geometry and symmetry is intentional to communicate the oppression these regimes stand for.

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Shell Oil monopoly
Shell Oil monopoly
So called Land of the Free (homage to Germania)
So called Land of the Free (homage to Germania)
God Bless America
God Bless America
God Bless Nationalism
God Bless Nationalism
Communism (homage to "Sleeping Peasants" by Jean-François Millet)
Communism (homage to “Sleeping Peasants” by Jean-François Millet)
Sarcastic homage to McCarthyism
Sarcastic homage to McCarthyism
Fascist corporate cabal
Fascist corporate cabal
The last proletariat on the Ford assembly line
The last proletariat on the Ford assembly line
Chairman Mao drinks Coca-Cola
Chairman Mao drinks Coca-Cola
Long live capitalism
Long live capitalism
Conspiracy theories and the JFK assassination on TV
Conspiracy theories and the JFK assassination on TV
Bullying hurts
Bullying hurts

McDonald’s Fast Food Slaughter Machine

This image is inspired by H.G. Wells’ 1895 book The Time Machine. H.G. Wells describes two worlds. The world above is a peaceful garden and amusement park full of naïve residents. Monsters live in the dark world below of tunnels, machines, and the equipment that sustains the aboveground garden. In my rendition of H.G. Wells’ story monsters emerge at night with their nasty machines to harvest people for “USDA approved grade A” burger patties.

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A Goliath made of corporate logos fights a tiny David dressed as Uncle Sam.