Ruben Pagan - Marc Yankus - The Secret Lives of Buildings

In this series of work titled "The Secret Lives of Buildings" by Marc Yankus, different types of architecture from New York City are on display in a new way. Yankus provides us with a unique view of these buildings through the use of "digital collage" and specifically the emphasis on just the buildings. He took the time to make sure there were no or few people in many of the images to evoke a sense of calm and quietness in an ever-so alive and active city. Not only did he manage to exclude people, more importantly there are no cars! It is hard to imagine any city without cars but especially New York City with the yellow cabs which seem to be a staple of the iconic metropolis. The manner in which Yankus framed the buildings in each still image is extremely important, specifically how the lines and edges of the buildings are lines up evenly with the borders of the photographs.

The artist's thematic intentions are to create a sense of solitude amongst the buildings in the city. This is because of the fact that people only ever see the city in such a busy state. He wants to provide the viewer with something that they would otherwise never see. The surreal, imagination-like scenery also provides a podium for emphasis on the forgotten buildings of the city that are overshadowed by monstrous skyscrapers. Everyone simply walks by old buildings that used to be the marvel of their time when they defined the city. He wants to show that these structures still shape the city into what they are today and that their archaic styles are equally beautiful.

I personally admire the intents of the photographer to show the city in these lonesome ways. I have actually wondered before what it may be like to walk amongst the city in a post-apocalyptic time with no one around and mother nature beginning to grow back into the city. Vines and weeds wrapped around buildings and lining the streets, deer running around time square, and complete silence with rusty cars everywhere and a bird chirping echoing down long streets through the tunnels of buildings. The world we live in today could be turned totally upside-down if the artist's decisions became reality and I am here for it.