My research site is St Marks. When I made observations about this location, I was standing in this exact location:St Marks between 2nd and 3rd Ave.
10 Questions
1.Why there are lots of Japanese restaurants and stores around that area?
2.Why there seems like full of Punk culture?
3.How does westrn culture evolve to Japanese culture?
4.What is the relationship between Punk and Japan?
5. How do people think about pornographic in the street?
6.How many people eat in that area everyday?
7. Why some Japanese restaurants have chinese on their menus.
8. Why would people go there?
9. How do people feel while they walking on the street?
10. Why do I want to do research about this area?
Three of the above questions that could be my main central research question:
1.Why there are lots of Japanese restaurants and stores around that area?
2.Why there seems like full of Punk culture?
3.How does westrn culture evolve to Japanese culture?
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My chosen central research question is: How does westrn culture evolve to Japanese culture?
After doing some preliminary research, my first draft thesis statement is: Japanese restaurants and Punks are sharing the same place St. Marks place.
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Psychological Map of my Location
The first step was I walked through St.Mark’s place between 2nd and 3rd Ave, then I drew from my memories. I marked down the most imprison restaurant to me. I chose this place because I really like the food over there. I am really really curious about why would there are many pornogrpahic posters? and why some Japanese restaurants have chinese on their menus.
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Annotated Bibliography
1. Stalcup, Scott. “Noise Noise Noise: Punk Rock’s History Since 1965.” Studies in Popular Culture 23, no. 3 (2001): 51-64. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23414589.
This source is helpful because I learned many history and background of Punks culture.
I understand that why young generation want to create it.
2. Killoram, Ellen. “Secrets of St. Marks Place: The short NYC street is long on history.” amNewYork March 28, 2016. http://www.amny.com/lifestyle/secrets-of-new-york/secrets-of-st-marks-place-the-short-nyc-street-is-long-on-history-1.11600806
From this article I could learn the history of St. Marks Place. It is a very important to East Village. What was St. Marks looks like in the early years.
3. Mcmillian, John. “St. Marks Is Dead and the Complexity of Gentrification.” The Atlantic. Nov 4, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/ada-calhoun-review-st-marks-is-dead-new-york-gentrification/413815/
This article talks about the punk history in St. Marks. The author believes that St. Marks is dead. Nowadays, you won’t find many self-respecting bohemians or rock ’n’ rollers who feel upbeat about the East Village.
4. Kludt, Amanda. “Turning Japanese: The changing face of St. Mark’s Pl. looks Asian” The Villager. Volume 74, Number 40 | February 9 – 15, 2005 http://thevillager.com/vil_93/turningjapanes.html
The article was written based on a owner’s interview who is the owner of a Japanese restaurant on St. Mark’s Pl, so it is receivable. And some history of Japanese culture in St. marks.
5. Takenaka, Ayumi. “The Japanese in Peru: History of Immigration, Settlement, and Racialization.” Latin American Perspectives 31, no. 3 (2004): 77-98. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3185184.
This book illustrate the history of Japanese Immigration in to America. Why at that period lots of Japanese move to USA, but now More Chinese moved to here.
6. Snyder, Karrie Ann. “Routes to the Informal Economy in New York’s East Village: Crisis, Economics, and Identity.” Sociological Perspectives 47, no. 2 (2004): 215-40.
This article looks at how individuals become involved in the informal economy. So I could have a better understanding of East Village. How St.marks impact EV.
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Story card
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Outline
Hook Introduction
Body 1 history of st.marks and what is st marks look like.
body 2 Punk
body3 Japense
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artist: Boyang Hu
artist statement
Most of my work are portraits and they are illustrating a moment. I am realism, you wouldn’t see any abstract stuff in my illustration. The main material I use is photoshop. Digital drawing board and pen are my best tool. So far. my work doesn’t have too much deep meaning that would one thing I would focus on in the future. Instagram is a good way too get inspiration.
My family and child hood influence me a lot. My grandparents are industrial designer, I started watching them drawing since I was three years old. When I was a kids, I went to many drawing class to study drawing skill. Since then, drawing became my habit, every time when I am bored, I would drawing to spend time. After I came to America, I discovered that I want to be a designer rather than anything else. Thus, I attend Parsons to study illustration.
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Hi Boyang – you have a nice progression in your research. I think your focus right now needs to be on your thesis statement.
This thesis statement needs to be revised. It is too factual: “Japanese restaurants and Punks are sharing the same place St. Marks place.”
We can already observe that Japanese restaurants and punk culture are occupying the same street. The answer to your central research question seems more historical in nature:
Your question: How did Western culture evolve to Japanese culture? (on Saint Marks Place?)
So I would encourage you to investigate the history of Saint Marks Place and determine *how* exactly punk artists and Japanese stores ended up sharing the same space.
I encourage you to go to St. Marks and speak with some of the store owners/employees. This will be helpful for your research.