New York City Subcultures, 2019
A photographic and journalistic project about urban development through subculture and politics using the example of New York City.
Cities are man-made environments in which socialization processes take place, groups are formed and subcultures emerge, which in turn influence and change these places. Individuals and residents shape the face of a city. Politics and economy influence it and make a significant contribution to changing both sociological and architectural conditions.
New York City is constantly changing and a place where subcultures have emerged. The book ‘New York City Subcultures’ documents the change of a city and its inhabitants, giving a voice to people who have experienced and shaped it, asking for their opinion and showing places that played a decisive role in the formation of subcultures. It aims to offer tools and information to compare and critically examine the change and development of a big city.
With the help of photographic and textual elements, this project visualizes the interaction of people, city, politics and economy and their mutual influence on each other. It documents places and portrays people living with the rapid development of New York City, combined with the experiences of some of its residents. Through their stories, opinions and assessments, they can create a more authentic picture of the development, the past and the present than one could have obtained from research and visiting alone.
As you flip through the book, quotes taken from the interviews, which are marked as headings, come together to form a poem that illustrates the development of a city. In one, the poem can be read on the back of the book, thus summarizing its content.
Concept, Photography, Interviews and Design by Amira Hartmann
Negative development: Bushwick Community Darkroom, Brooklyn, NY
and Foto Frankenberg, Essen
Proofreading: Rossina Makinson, London
Printing: Hemmersbach Druck, Cologne
Binding: Edmund Schaefer e. K., Cologne
Paper: Munken Lynx 120g
Fonts: Surt (Blaze Type), Apoc (Blaze Type), Nostra (Lucas Descroix)
Bachelor Project at Peter Behrens School of Arts, Duesseldorf, 2020
Supervised by Prof. Mareike Foecking and Prof. Uwe J. Reinhardt