NYC '22

 

Paola Pivi- You Know Who I Am, 2022

Was in NY for a week, and no, I won't go into my usual gentrification rant yet again. It was the yearly excursion to visit: moms in the nursing home (and a dear friend in the ICU), the post Covid Mermaid Parade, The Bronx Documentary Center and last and not least, to chow down on as many slices of Two Boots pizza as I possibly could in the time allotted. Located at The Jane in the Meatpacking District, I started each day on The High Line by gandering at the guy above, art as it should be: free, multifaceted and humorous; how can you not start you're day on the good foot looking at that mug and all it stands for!

All Photos: © Stan Banos

On the other end of the The High Line was our old 'friend,' The Vessel (or if you're Eastern European- "The Wessel"), the $200 Million doodad of everything art shouldn't be- gaudy, ginourmous and the centerpiece for NYC's currently most expensive neighborhood. (Un)fortunately, it just may have to be... dismantled. Closed since July of last year due to its penchant for attracting those with a penchant for jumping off its higher levels, including one guy who supposedly first murdered his mother- the latter which has pretty much become the de rigueur, signature statement of mass shooters everywhere. You'd think they'd have a plaque for this guy right next to it for breaking the mold and just offing himself after the fact- bloody saint he is! Anyway, they only let you walk into the middle of The Vessel these days, and on the ground floor only- climbing any of its 16 stories, 80 landings and 2,500 Escherian steps is strictly Verboten! It's now been rendered almost Banksy...est!

Charging Bull

 

Walking about certain parts of the city, I noticed how something was kinda... off, actually couldn't explain it at first. Of course, foot and car traffic seemed well below 'normal." Duh-uh! Plum forgot that little pandemic thang; apartments must be really cheap then- right? Anyway, walk I did- at one point I heard my train arriving and proceeded to run up the subway platform stairs as I have countless times since childhood. My body from the waist up lunged forward and upward, while my legs emphatically rejected the go message and remained glacially stationary! My body was Reed Richards waist up, Ben Grimm waist down. First time that has ever happened, and at 66, I had no choice but to laugh it off and just be thankful- it was 5pm, and had been walking since 10am. 

 

 

Mermaid Parade '22

 

Brooklyn in the foreground; Queens in the back.

 

Managed to get a snap here, a snap there, but didn't think the lot amounted to much of anything, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I actually did manage to score a few keepers (even if only one at the parade), and... ten slices of pizza overall. Most regrettably, a standard, everyday jelly donut of perfection at The Donut Pub now costs A Whopping... $2.50!!! I had once thought that our known universe could not possibly support a donut that cost over $1.00; I thought much the same of a movie costing over $10.00.

“The Clavicles”

They’re either next to the testicles... or just east of the Rockies- either way, never heard of ‘em referred to in the plural pre-Trump.

South Bronx Photo Central

I finally got to visit The Bronx Documentary Center as it was busily preparing its current and most timely exhibit on the Russian debacle in Ukraine. A little gem of a storefront in the heart of the South Bronx, it is also the home of the Tim Hetherington Photobook Library (open by appt), a fantastic one room selection of photodocumentary works to which I was privileged to contribute my own collection, and that will soon be expanding. A short half block away is their annex, which houses an even larger exhibition space- BTW, not only does the latter have a pressed metal ceiling... it has pressed metal walls, and ya don't exactly see them everywhere!

When I arrived, Michael Kamber, hammer in hand, looked like a one man wrecking crew, except he wasn't destroying anything- hanging, aligning and directing everything and everyone (a dedicated team of diverse young bloods) in a last minute frenzy to get the whole shebang up and ready by showtime that night! Ya see the guy and you understand just how he's able to accomplish all he's done and continues to do, one very intense (yet most hospitable) looking guy built like a Special Forces Master Sergeant, you get the feeling he usually accomplishes what he sets out to do- did I mention he speaks Spanish like a native? 

Anyway, Urgency! Ukraine is only up for two weeks (due to prior show commitments) and features some of today's leading photojournalists with some truly strong imagery- a panel discussion will be held on 6/28 featuring some of the exhibit's photographers. Be sure to visit whenever in the NYC area- the IRT #2 or 5 will get ya there...

The Cruel Radiance

Recently, I posted something declaring it was high time the public got to see the consequences of gun violence- particularly of the mass shootings with 'assault type' rifles. I was aware of (at least some of) the downsides inherent with such an action, but thought it (and still do) the right thing to do. Because when you got kids (KIDS!) getting shot to pieces in cold blood, on a random, repeated basis- How much fuckin' worse can it get?!?

Well, the woman above wrote a book covering the history and consequences of such action- interesting reading to be sure, and then some. And while there are definite consequences that would, in fact, be disadvantageous, Susie Linfield has researched, considered and deliberated all the possible consequences of such action(s), making her ultimate stand not a guess, but a rather well thought out and highly reasoned imperative!

She also goes on to talk about photographing poverty and other social tragedy- something I've continued to question myself about for decades to this day (as any conscientious photographer should). One writer (Jim Lewis- Slate) goes on to state that such photos should be only be... "casually composed, without serious compositional attention." It's such an incredibly ill thought out and naive belief, I guess the obvious lack of care and/or respect inherent in such an attitude (that would directly reflect upon the subject matter) is just not up for consideration- casually or otherwise...

A Few More...

Photos from the March For Our lives on 6/11/2022 in San Francisco (woulda had a coupla more but the dang XT missed focus- yet again)... Looks like I just might have to train  myself to manual focus again, just like I had to train myself to compose using my right eye, instead of my left...

 

Amen- most definitely! Above and Below...

Photos: © Stan Banos

The Springtime of Our Youth

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

 

Saw it from half a block away, a pure and simple snapshot to be sure- so full of life and promise and hope. Of course, it would all be over by the time I got there, and it was- but it wasn't... They were taking one more shot, one more try- and I was there!

Dad seems detached, but it don't matter none- cause Mom's bursting with such joy and pride! Young blood standing proud looks toward her with love, care, appreciation. That's all he needs- tripod at hand, he's already proving he can do it on his own. Youth = Hope; hopes and dreams as big as he is tall, as wide as the building behind them.

 And I wish him all the possible best!

Double Barrel

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

 
Gotta give it up to anyone capable of finding humor in any of this...

 

Photo: © Stan Banos

 

"The Talk"

Ques: What Do You Call A Mass Shooter... The Day Before?

Ans: A good guy with a gun!

BTW- There's been well over 200 mass shootings in the US of A just this year... thus far!

Obviously, the sooner a child becomes acquainted with guns, the more responsible he becomes. It bestows a certain sense of maturity...

Time To Show The Bodies...

I was a child living through the Viet Nam War. Back then, it seemed like that one too would never end. But I remember what helped turned the opinion of many who continued to support the war- the photos of the bodies... children's bodies. The most iconic image etched into the minds of anyone from that era was the sight of Phan Thị Kim Phúc OOnt (aka- "Napalm Girl") trying desperately to escape and run from her pain, burnt flesh running down her body...

But even prior to that came the first hardcore salvo that had die hard supporters scratching their heads in bewilderment- morally, ethically, "patriotically." That was the My Lai Massacre photos, dead women, old men, and yes- dead children and babies. Many of them. Innocents slaughtered by the wayside, with the same maniacal, casual disregard- caused by the very same lineage of weapons that continue to slaughter civilian innocents to this day! Those photos caused anyone with a beating heart who still thought we were on the side of "right" to realize how we were blatantly allowing and perpetuating the most hideous of atrocities...

It's time to show the children's bodies here at home- time to clearly, irrevocably show and expose the slaughter that these bought Republican shills are allowing to occur on a now regular basis. All we are ever allowed are their never ending torrent of fantasy induced excuses. They are well beyond shame, beyond reason. It's time to actually see the results of their words, their policies, their willingness to do absolutely nothing in the face of continued carnage!

PS- Yes, that's one helluva ask of any parent or family, but when all we can possibly hope for are cosmetic changes of no real consequence- perhaps an Emmett Till moment is just what we need.

Pure Joy!

This pop tune (if it can be called such) is just so utterly catchy and contemporary, her movements so utterly steeped in tradition...

Remember...

 That shop sign somewhere in the UK about "All Americans must be accompanied by an adult?" Yeah...