Week 44 - 2019
Berenice Abbott, New York at Night, 1934. Belongs to the Preus museums collection.
The myriad of the City
Within a city you are able to hide away. You're not as easily spotted like you would be if you were to reside in a more sparsely build environment. You can disappear or you can find someone just like yourself among the city’s myriad of people.
31st of October is the World Cities Day. UNs sustainability goal number 11 covet to “make cities and settlements more including, safe, impervious and sustainable”. More than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and an additional 2.5 billion people aim to move to urban areas within 2050. Therefore its important to facilitate sustainable urban development; to make sure people can live a good and healthy life within cities.
Between half past 4 and 5 in the afternoon on December 20th, 1934, Berenice Abbott’s camera was hanging out of a window on one of the Empire State Buildings upper floors. It took this photo during a 15 minute long exposure. The photographer created a picture immobilising the fleeting transition between the coming dusk and the continuous lights emitting from the city’s offices.
Although this image is 85 years old, there is still something modern about it. For Abbott this image represented the rise of modernity in New York as well as the ensuing lifestyle. Do let your eyes wander within Abbotts cityscape while you reflect upon what it means to live - or not live - in a city.