Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Walking in Paris

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Sterility of urban freeway versus vibracy of pedestian street



The above is a video of a freeway in New York City. It is goes on for seven minutes, which is too long.
Compare this with a pedestrial street scene with people stopping, talking, looking and enjoying the area. This freeway embodies the sterility and mechanical nature of movement in most cities around the globe. Capitalistic societies have reduced the commute from insulated domitory suburbs to isolated work places by private insulated vehicles on montonous freeways. When stated in this manner, the image is grim. Is this also the future of our urban environments?

Sunday, February 7, 2010

"Precious"- a reflection on the anonymity of the city

The city is a composite of many different individuals. When we are on the streets, hundreds of people pass by. Most of which we will never see again. However, each one of us is carrying with us a complicated background which we will only share with a few. Last night, I saw the film “Precious” with some friends. The movie is wonderful constructed and dark. The film has an urban starkness, set in the poorer areas of New York City. When we walk down the street are we walking by those that have the same history as the main character of this movie? The probability is likely that at one point we have done so. The following is a clip of the movie.