The Real World by Tom Otterness

               What we miss looking at our phones are pieces of public art like The Real World. Walking through Battery Park City, there is no way to not notice the figures that live in their own world, interacting with other figures. Some sit on chairs, serenading a small fountain, lie on a small trail, seemingly with no purpose. However, in a sense, the interactions of the figures mock the values of humans in today's world. A common item seen is the penny which the figures endlessly chase after.

               When I first stumbled upon the figures, I was confused. They felt out of place; they stood out too much, but the setting at Battery Park City was actually fitting for the art piece. Isolated away from the loud urban environment, the peace and relaxation offers the time to understand and reflect on the real world. The interesting idea of using three dimensional figures is that they feel real as if they actually do coexist with us. They are the metaphor of humans; figures anxiously in wait, tailing a victim and seeking greed. In retrospect, they are not in their own world, but in fact, living in our world: The Real World.

Graffiti of the LES

               What I notice about the graffiti of the lower east side is how integrated they are with the neighborhood. There is meaning in the art such as memorializing the passing of people. Graffiti is an interesting art of expression and I normally see graffiti as a personal thought. Despite it being a public exhibition, the meaning of the art does not have to be known but I realized that the this particular graffiti wanted to be known because of how well known the person was.

               Another thing about the graffiti here are more illustrative and in particular, very mysterious in the case of their meaning. One in particular that I was curious about was a man in a pinstriped suit hidden behind a newspaper, sitting on the word "Vandal". Upon looking up the definition of the word, vandal means "a person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable". In this context I thought it referred the graffiti marring the wall. This graffiti was a signature piece that was in my neighborhood but recently, on my way back home, I noticed that the Vandal piece was painted over which was saddening because of how much it stood out to me. Instead, now it just a simple red wall, free of any preexisting vandalism.

Homeless Shopping Carts

               No parking signs and other posts have their uses. Not to us, but for those who tie their shopping carts to them. It's a curious thing about the habit started. The items usually in the carts are plastic bottles, cans, and other recyclable containers. Among the population of people living in the city, the harsh reality of knowing that there exists people who have no choice but to earn money by digging for recyclable bottles and cans that they can exchange for however little change that they can get. Their greatest asset becomes the shopping cart. Just like how the object is used in a supermarket, the shopping cart is their lifeline, a bridge to get back to society.

               Now let us step back and examine the shopping cart itself. Most probably they were stolen from supermarkets or were dumped and deemed unusable. From what I notice is that they are a common item for those that are forced out onto the streets. It begs me to question the use of the shopping cart. Does it have another use now and when did the homeless start using it? Recent modifications include poles attached vertically to the four corners of the basket so that bags could be hung around them. 

Posted by Patrick Chen