New York/LES

Ludlow Street (4x5 film)

For all the new enthusiasm for modern architecture evident around town, this is still a city full of dismal brick boxes with small catalogue-ordered windows. A few years ago this one went up on Ludlow and Stanton on the Lower East Side where I am now taking photographs. Gradually, this cheap malproportioned building became a part of the scene in this most sceneful part of New York. A small fashion business rented the storefront, an advertising banner draped the almost blind facade on Ludlow, and grafitti adorned the sides of this wall/building.

I took this picture one recent summer evening as the sun was going down. It was a Friday or Saturday, as I recall, and a red rope was already waiting for patrons of Pianos, a club just to the right of the picture. Red and green, lots of rectangles, ghosting figures, a dog, a bucket, bicycles, dresses, "Chloé."