Thank You! + "Time and Space on the Lower East Side"

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to the opening last night, it was a great turnout and nice to see some old and new faces in the crowd?

After some much needed sleep I'll start posting about the show again, but right now I wanted to pass on this book project which has come to light by Brian Rose and Ed Fausty.  I remember seeing some of it on the web, and as I was installing at La Mama a desk copy of it was part of the previous La Mama "La Familia" show, as well as an image by Ed Fausty of East 1st Street..

This should put to rest the question I get a lot...."was it really that bad here back in the day?".   "Bad" is a relative term, but mostly I find myself these days saying "well, there are just a hell of a lot more people around.  the place is more full".  Bombed out empty buildings are now fixed up and occupied, new buildings have been built in empty lots, the trash is actually picked up, etc, etc.  When you look at old aerial maps you see lots of buildings, but there are no indicators of how many were empty, especially over in the alphabets.

There are some spaces in the newer photos that I've shot repeatedly, and some which included elements I've used for my pieces in the show.  Its always great to see how others frame the same materials, empty lots, sequences of buildings, etc.  Since the photos in their book were shot using 4x5 cameras, the pictures feel like formal statements of the times.  I'm excited to buy my own copy and to give the book to someone who hasn't lived here for 20 years to see if they can differentiate between the "now" and 'then' photos.   I wonder if in 20 years it will have changed again as much as it has today? 

Anyway, take a look, the preview is available on Blurb, and its for sale there too.  I was surprised at what a good job Blurb did, its a beautiful book!

http://www.blurb.com/books/1546878
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1546878

Now, I seriously need to get some coffee......