My essential questions were How does street art impact NYC, from its culture to its residents as well as How I can further my animation skills through this form of storytelling,
Whilst reading Underground Harmonies by Susan J Tanenbaum, I was pleasantly pleased to know someone else had a similar experience enjoying the artistry occurring in the subway.
From the beginning of the book, the similarities were prevalent. Much like me, “As a rider, I sensed that the musicians helped me to cope with my surroundings, but it took me a while to see subway music as a legitimate form of social and cultural activity, worthy of serious study” (Tanenbaum, x.). Initially, I allowed the subway music and walking past street artists to resonate in the back of my mind, no more than sounds and visuals like a train passing or the smell of new york city in the summer (hot garbage). Then recently I realized this was their livelihood, something to be appreciated, something that ought to be understood. It was nice to know someone else went through a similar process of this realization.
From this passage it was clear the answer to my essential question: “It was rush hour and the trains were delayed. I stood next to a white-haired woman–‘when I was expecting my daughter’ she commented to me… ‘the musicians in my town were practicing through the night for carnival– when my daughter came out, she had the music in her blood!’. I asked her what she thought of subway music, ‘It makes the waiting easier… We need it. What do they say? Music soothes the savage breast? It’s soothing, its relaxing’”.(Tanenbaum, 11). Art is for the mind, body, and soul, and experiencing these free forms of art is a privilege endured by us New Yorkers. The thing is, we need the little light in our lives that street art brings us. It reminds me of the current situation. In Covid-19, we are coping through art. Yes, people like me make the art but think about that series you binged, or the Instagram live you watched. Entertainment is what makes the world go round, yet it is incredibly underappreciated how significant of an impact it makes. So how does this all relate to “How does street art impact NYC, from its culture to its residents”? Well, all in all, street art gives New Yorkers life, it enriches the culture, and it finds new ways to implement creativity into pedestrians.
From the text I read, I guess my questions stem from how different cultures are represented through the art. Underground Harmonies seems to touch on that a lot more than my project does, so that would be an interesting angle to take.
Overall, the reading confirmed my essential understanding: New York needs art, it makes us who we are. Without it, the culture wouldn’t be what new york is known for, a colorful, bustling city.