If you live in an urban space, you may be familiar with the stimulating bustle of a city. Taking a moment to stop, regard, and marvel at empty spaces, dirty corners, look above and below me, has been my way of creating a little daily magic as of late. Taking a closer look at these forgotten spaces creates a feeling of discovery - like even though so many people are around me, these unspoken city images are only visible to me.
We’ve spoken about forest bathing in the natural and organic shapes of our tree friends but there’s something about the linearity and planned nature of the city that is inspirational, creative, and thought provoking. I like this shot of the subway because you can see so many layers of planned grids pushing further and further back in space. You can see the unfinished nature of the system. It’s decaying but it is also a work in progress all at the same time. This shot of the subway lead me to a poem stanza by Charles Reznikoff from “Walk about the Subway Station” that goes like this:
Walk about the subway station
in a grove of steel pillars;
how their knobs, the rivet-heads —
unlike those of oaks —
are regularly placed;
how barren the ground is
except here and there on the platform
Léa