project one 〰 line drawings

crowd at a coffee shop (2019)

smiling at strangers (2019)

movement on the subway (2019)

strolling by the hudson (2019)

anatomy of two evenings as mapped by my phone usage (2019)

artist statement

In my attempt to map the tactile interaction of New Yorkers, or people as a whole, and their environment, I began by exploring the concept of Wandersmänner, or “walkers” (p.93) , as described in ‘Walking in the City’ by literally chronicling their speed and tendencies while walking. Stationed on a bench by the Hudson river, I surveyed the passing joggers and tracked their pauses and interactions with one another and the environment. What stood out the most was the large number of passer-bys that stopped to take a snapshot on their phone, which got me thinking more about the role of technology in our own daily interactions, and propelled me to continue tracking that. Ultimately, the rest of my work began to take shape around the usage of technology and how this has shaped the pattern of a modern day commute, with phones and computers as an escape from awkward face-to-face contact and locking eyes. To better my results, I placed myself within the exercise as a subject and an affecting factor, tracking the amount of times smiles were reciprocated by strangers passing by me, and also tracking my own phone usage during two evenings. Lastly, I tracked the usage of technology and media in places like subways, coffee shops and study halls to further cement the realization that technology has moulded our patters to the point that even in our in-between moments, we turn to it without realizing, for better or for worse.