Objective:
“Based on the obsession you have chosen, choose 3 places in NYC to physically visit that are related to your theme. (For example, if your obsession is ‘dogs’, maybe your 3 places are a dog park, a gallery exhibition with the theme of dogs, and a pet store). While you are at each location you will begin to create a collection of visual and sensorial information. The purpose of this assignment is to experience your theme from multiple perspectives, and to begin to create an archive of inspiration and references.”
Ellis Island
Photographs
Sketch
Object/Debri
Recordings
1.
2.
3.
Interview
Tiffany – Jersey City
Written Summary
Going to Ellis Island was very important. I learned so much about the effects of trans-nationalism, the reasons why people moved, and their stories after they settled. I related this to my own two families who immigrated from different regions to what now I call home. Unbeknownst to me at the time, there was an exhibition curated by the Arab American Museum that displayed artifacts of Iraqi and Syrian refugees. Each item or collection of items told a story about their significance to the owner as well as the culture that they came from. I actually cried up after reading about the coffee cups as I could feel the writer’s emotions and relate them to my family.
Ground Zero
Photographs
Sketch
Object/Debri
Recordings
1.
2.
3.
Interview
Fadhil – Brooklyn
Written Summary
At the Memorial I felt really out of place because it had a double meaning. not only was it a gross act of terrorism but it also marks the rise of islamophobia in American popular and contemperory culture. Interestingly, I when I was there a policeman came up to me and asked what I was doing accusingly. I thought “Well here we go. What are the odds that someone is going to be the focus of some skepticism?” I told him that i was just sketching and he left me alone. It’s interesting how that happened while I am who I am. It makes you think.
On another note, the memorial itself was really beautiful. The calm serene sounds and layout just was a place of peace. I did not expect to see that at all. I always just imagined a big crater. On the contrary, it was alot more futuristic and lush. Furthermore, the names of all the victims along the rim of the building sites was very touching and the fact that you could place a white rose into it made the experience all the more special.
Parsons Building
Photographs
Sketch
Object/Debri
Recordings
1.
2.
3.
Interview
Written Summary
The last place I visited was the Parsons Building. In terms of identity, I wanted to pick somewhere that was more personal and indicative of my new personal identity – being a student in New York. I chose two classrooms that I had classes in during my first semester at Parsons.
