The Gates
No, thankfully, this is not about Bill. It's Christo & Jeanne Claude in Central Park. They have decorated many large areas, but, I'm glad they saved their largest city project for NYC, their home, and mine.
When I left NY in '83, you couldn't walk in Central Park, you couldn't go to Times Square, the rivers and streets were filled with trash, the city was filthy and even walking around in broad daylight was gamey and felt risky. I'd spend a day in the city and feel buoyed by simply surviving it. Ford had told us to "drop dead", we were bankrupt. Bernard Getz was found not guilty after shooting four unarmed black men, by reason of self defense, that's how terrified New Yorkers were of the thugs and muggers who had free run of Koch's botches. We'd endured Son of Sam and the horrendous assasination of John Lennon in front of his home.
My folks and sister moved to Laguna Niguel at the same time I moved to Cupertino, so, for many many years, I never looked back. But, a big part of me has always missed my home. Artists are to NY what techies are to this area, not only is the actual art incomparable to any other part of this country, but, the populace is far more attuned to art and the art world. They are cultured. Not as cultured as they are in Europe, but far more cultured than we are out here.
So, watching these orange flags unfurl today, after 26 years, yes, makes me cry. I cry out of pride that my hometown has recovered into the beautiful city it should be. It's been bombed, decimated, flattened, it's suffered every problem and every insult imaginable. It's the original melting pot, and international symbol of freedom and enterprise. It's a, if not the, cultural capital of the world, art, fashion, publishing, the original home of music, and TV. And I cry out of missing my home, and all the art and culture and learning it afforded me.
I'm sorry I'll never get to see The Gates,(unless I bail on about 5 band practices this week) they're only there for 16 days, a longer life-span than most of Christo & Jeanne Claude's works. But, I've loved their temporary, organic process art for a very long time, almost as long as I've loved New York. And I'm very happy this project has finally come to fruition. Perhaps, like fine wine, it's the fuller for waiting. The art may be temporary but the love of art and NY is not.
When I left NY in '83, you couldn't walk in Central Park, you couldn't go to Times Square, the rivers and streets were filled with trash, the city was filthy and even walking around in broad daylight was gamey and felt risky. I'd spend a day in the city and feel buoyed by simply surviving it. Ford had told us to "drop dead", we were bankrupt. Bernard Getz was found not guilty after shooting four unarmed black men, by reason of self defense, that's how terrified New Yorkers were of the thugs and muggers who had free run of Koch's botches. We'd endured Son of Sam and the horrendous assasination of John Lennon in front of his home.
My folks and sister moved to Laguna Niguel at the same time I moved to Cupertino, so, for many many years, I never looked back. But, a big part of me has always missed my home. Artists are to NY what techies are to this area, not only is the actual art incomparable to any other part of this country, but, the populace is far more attuned to art and the art world. They are cultured. Not as cultured as they are in Europe, but far more cultured than we are out here.
So, watching these orange flags unfurl today, after 26 years, yes, makes me cry. I cry out of pride that my hometown has recovered into the beautiful city it should be. It's been bombed, decimated, flattened, it's suffered every problem and every insult imaginable. It's the original melting pot, and international symbol of freedom and enterprise. It's a, if not the, cultural capital of the world, art, fashion, publishing, the original home of music, and TV. And I cry out of missing my home, and all the art and culture and learning it afforded me.
I'm sorry I'll never get to see The Gates,(unless I bail on about 5 band practices this week) they're only there for 16 days, a longer life-span than most of Christo & Jeanne Claude's works. But, I've loved their temporary, organic process art for a very long time, almost as long as I've loved New York. And I'm very happy this project has finally come to fruition. Perhaps, like fine wine, it's the fuller for waiting. The art may be temporary but the love of art and NY is not.
posted by Intervision at 5:40 AM
1 Comments:
I enjoyed reading your thoughts..
The Gates Central Park 2005
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