Images of a brightly lit skyline and bustling streets have been burned into our memories, constantly reminding us that New York is the city that never sleeps. However, many areas of Manhattan do in fact sleep. Their nocturnal presence allows us to see their meanings, which would otherwise go unnoticed.
Given the recent history and fragility of New York City, these spaces offer us a moment to reflect upon the possibility of an urban redemption. These nocturnal images provide a space for individual reflection and return us to the haunting beauty of the city. Loneliness, alienation, and estrangement can be balanced by beauty, light and hope.
My approach has been to seek out the places of childhood memory, and now of my adult life, that resonate personally with me. The camera becomes the soul, looking for fullness in emptiness, solace in the urban environment.
Street walking, with all the connotations of night, have allowed me to pay attention to an alternative melancholic beauty, which questions and supports the desire to know where and how we are.