The Gates
SO after all the hype I finally got a chance to see it for myself. I was expecting to be somewhat under whelmed after reading all the hype and criticisms all week. But I wasn’t. I thought it was great. So for all you philistines, here is my smug artsy fartsy take on it.
We entered the park from Central Park South and my first impression was how massive a scale the project was. They were everywhere. To see it yourself is quite amazing. They cover every lane, every sidewalk, every bridge and staircase, with only about 5 or ten feet between them. The color itself is really striking. The Park in February is the most monochrome site you’ll ever see, so to see huge swaths of orange all over was really something.
Another aspect you can never get from pictures is the atmosphere. You could tell you were part of a big “event”. People were everywhere. Huge crowds all walking and taking pictures. Tons of street vendors selling cheap knockoff gates crap. But you could really feel the energy that this was a once in a lifetime thing.
What I really liked was the little things. The photographer in me saw a thousand different pictures from a thousand different angles. Each one as visually interesting as the next. The way they would even have gates down stairs into tunnels, how when you stand on a long sidewalk all you can see is a seemingly endless series of gates going off in the distance, The way the fabric moved in the breeze, and how it kept creating a new visual dynamic with each moment. When the sun shined it would create this warm orange glow on the faces of everyone walking under it. I liked that. I coudlve spent all day getting lost in the park, but we only spent an hour or so. Oh well. At least I got to see it. That alone gives me cred in the stuck up froo froo art world cocktail party circuit.
Here are some pictures I took. To see more, go Here, here, and here.
They are all for sale in the “Ed’s Daily Rant” Gift shop located in Midtown Manhattan on the corner of 5th avenue and 61st street.
And finally, with a nod to the Isht, heres an ebay find of the day. Ebay search for “gates” (I was looking for a poster), revealed this, which will also go nice in my living room.