Imagine. Sky scrapers at your feet. Sidewalks curved towards the heavens. Brownstones flipped and toppling downwards. Lush greenery spilling out in every direction.
Jennifer Williams makes these seemingly impossible feats a reality in "The High Line Effect," which opened on Thursday night at Robert Mann Gallery in Chelsea. The show is on view through December 7th.
Williams' show focuses on New York City's High Line, the recently constructed (and still expanding) elevated park that just happens to be in the same neighborhood as the gallery hosting her work.
Images in the photo collages highlight the ongoing transformation of this public space as it continues to grow and become an ever-increasingly popular attraction. Cranes, construction sites, and buildings under development collide with bustling streets, rich foliage, and towering skyscrapers.
These images are more than photographic references to the neighborhood in which they are displayed. Each installation reverberates with energy and embodies the sheer electricity of the bustling High Line. Williams' pieces come alive before you, exploding with color, crawling around corners, wrapping over ceiling beams, spilling out onto the gallery floor.
What blows me away most about Williams' work is her ability to capture a sense of movement and life through very simple, basic images. Her photographs are not static records of the world. Together they are mind-bending, lively creations that challenge traditional ideas on perspective.
The way that Williams arranges her photos together creates a new world that feels more real than any photograph does on its own. Despite the fact that buildings are flipped upside down and placed under foot (so far from physical reality) I felt that I could be standing in the middle of the elevated park when standing in front of each installation.
For me, the collages embodied the feeling of walking along the High Line... experiencing the chaotic world around the park, hearing the incessant beeping of taxis, squinting from the sharp light reflected off surrounding buildings, feeling the crisp wind against my face, watching the tourists and city strollers pass by.
A big thank you goes out to my old college buddy, Ethan, who helped prepare the show and invited me and some friends to the special occasion.
Shot at Robert Mann Gallery. Photos by Nicole Weiler and Christine Bilms. Wearing {a delicate one-of-a-kind treasure from the '60s that feels more special with every wear}:
vintage jacket with beading and pearls, Rag +Bone jeans, Rag +Bone boots, vintage bag