Art Feeds Art

I love cool stuff.

This sounds like such an obvious statement, because who doesn't? HONESTLY! Duh!

But it's a wonderful thing when you're wandering through your day, half awake and something smacks you in the face and says "Look at me, dumb @$$". Like this piece from Tom Otterness in the 14th Street Subway Station.

I was on my way to a shoot, it was 6AM, and I was out of it in a way that defies both logic and description. I'd been going gig-to-sleep-to-gig for three days. Creatively exhausted and expected to put out (figuratively) in about 90 minutes. These little guys were a breath of fresh air. I almost missed my train because I needed to photograph them.

Even on my crappy phone camera from behind the barriers you can see how great they are. Sweet little guys going about their day, undermining the structure of the city.

I even talked to them a little (Like you do at 5am on 4 hours of sleep). To the one above I said "He's just standing there letting you get eaten!" While taking this picture from the other side a stranger came up and said "get it from over here" and gestured for me to come over to his side. Resulting in the shot above, which is MUCH better.

What I liked most about the installation was that for all the salt of the other two pieces, where the subway is being destroyed and one of the little guys eaten by an alligator, this one is sweet. The big, bad, guy with all the money is helping the little one out. You could read it like he's only giving him one or two of his coins, but those could be for other little ones out there.

I'd like to think my work that morning was better because of Tom Otterness. Thanks Tom, wherever you are.