1234NYC is a 10 year book project that will showcase the NY, New York borough residents by their zip codes. It's a project that focuses on small business owners, students, freelance entreprenuers, and the creative blood of New York City. 1234NYC is a project that is as much about people who are leaving New York as much as it is about people who can stay in New York.
NYC has always been a shimmering melting pot of this human race but in the past 10 years the face of New York has a look more like the color of money than of skin. Communities that had stood in NYC for decades have now dissipated completely or regrouped to another borough outside of Manhattan.
Participants will be photographed either at their residence, work place, or their favorite spot in the city.
Simply, 5 photographs of the participant over a 10-year period: 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2017
The first cycle began September of 2007 and will end September of 2008. From those selected I will re-photograph the participant in one year (This is +1.) Then re-photograph the same persons two years after that, then three, then four. Hence +1 +2 +3 +4, which will be a ten-year period.
If the person decides to leave NYC then they are out of the book for that period of time. If they return to NYC at a later date they may re-enter the book at that time.
WHY? I moved to NYC because I wanted to be a New Yorker. A fantasy, sure, because anyone who wants to be a New Yorker can never be one. But in my heart the city, the people and it's historic attitude felt like home. And it is. But my home is quickly becoming an outdoor shopping mall and my new neighbors it's happy shoppers. What I am witnessing is a repeat of what I saw happen in San Francisco/Oakland California in the late 1990's during the dotcom fever. I saw a beautiful city transform into a horrible loft-lifestyle and it's residents threatened by greedy landlords and a indifferent mayor.
And I hate this.
The future can alter it's course at any time and my fears may account to nothing but the fact is that NYC is heading toward an unprecedented economic spin that will throw off a large part of it's less prosperous inhabitants out of the City....but for now New York is losing it's character. Yes, it's getting f@Á*ing boring–because without tension, without risks, there are no obstacles to overcome, no fears to be confronted. Nothing great can be created without hunger without desire...and this City is fat and blown.
The creative blood has been draining out of NYC for a long time and no one cares, except for the bleeders, and they're almost dead. I can't stop the bleeding but neither can I stop hoping that the NY City that I fell in love with and in many ways grew up with, will survive. –FJ Parsa
To view the 1234NYC .mac photo archive click here.
