Category Archives: assignment Five – ISSUES (black & white)

I decided to take a look at my neighborhood to explore the issue of whether or not graffiti should be considered a form of art or vandalism. You can find graffiti all over Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn if you know the right places to look. Wonderful murals of graffiti can be found in the small alleyway along East 19th street. Some store owners have even hired graffiti artists to spray paint their store front as a way of advertising  but most other store owners are starting to complain about the “mess” left outside on the walls of their business. So where exactly should we draw the line? As I observed the graffiti around my neighborhood, I thought about this question. I photographed some areas where I believe grafitti artists vandalized personnel property and went too far.

I decided to portray an issue of daily life that every one has- clutter. Even if one is the cleanest person alive, there is bound to be some clutter found somewhere. Most of us dont realize how much clutter we have. From lightbulbs to stuffed animals to pencils, one can find anything in clutter, especially old magazines from 2008. What year are we in? 2010…almost 2011.

 As of last year, Berkeley Tower’s Co-op in Woodside, Queens saved an estimate of $1 million dollars to renovate the buildings’ 50 year old terraces, which were in dire need of a face lift. The company that is currently working on the Berkeley Tower’s Co-op is a construction company named Yates.

   These renovations have more than just one down side. Many residents not only have to close up their terraces for a year (manadatory precaution for demolition of parts of terrace), yet must endure several defeaning drill sounds from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

  Construction began several months ago and since then almost all of Berkeley’s residents complained to Berkeley’s Management office in the Jefferson building that the drills are supposed to have mufflers. If the drills have mufflers the sound would not penetrate throughout the  building the way it does.

    The majority of Berkeley residents are senior citizens and do not work, so the sound  is a hinderance.One resident stated that “I leave the house during the day just to be rid of the sounds.”

  Renovations must be conducted to ensure the safety of residents and the stability of their terraces. Thus, the project may cause confliction but it is neccessary that it is done and done correctly; drills must be used whether there are mufflers on the drills or not.

   The Berkeley Tower’s Corporation consists of three apartment complexes: the Washington, the Madison, and the Jefferson. Renovations on the Washington were completed in November. Work on the Jefferson and the Madison will be done by the end of 2011. Berkeley residents still have another year of listening to the noisemakers of Berkeley!

The growing amount of garbage in the city is becoming a real problem. Litter and pollution can be found not only on the streets but also in various nooks around the city as people carelessly throw their trash anywhere that is convenient.

The trash is so much, that even when it being collected, the amount of garbage bags create giant piles of trash on the street corners that tower over pedestrians walking by. For many, the over abundance of garbage is something that the average New Yorker has started to become accustomed to. However as one of the largest tourist capitals of the world, it is important that the people of New York find a way to make the city clean and more presentable.

The Pavilion movie theatre is a Park Slope staple, but where there was once a cozy neighborhood hang out, now stands a deteriorating empty memory.

The Pavilion Theatre occupies a beautiful historic building facing Prospect Park. For years it served as the neighborhood theatre, at one time it had a separate entrance that lead straight to the café located on the second floor. Every weekend children, parents, and teens lined up outside to buy tickets or pranksters tried to sneak from the café entrance into a theatre, either way it was alive. But today the theatre remains quite. The café is now a second concession stand, the theatre screens, chairs, and décor have not been renovated in years, and with the recent bed bug scare people aren’t braving it.

The place still has charm, employees wear white button down shirts, bow ties, and black vests like I imagine they did when the first movie theatre opened in 1906. But charm can only take it so far, sheets of paper that read “seat out of order” on the backs of movie seats are all too common. Every theatre room has missing seats all together or half disassembled ones. Stains on the curtains, floors, and seats are unforgivable, and on top of everything else there is a definite foul odor. Yet the theatre remains open seven days a week and some loyal patrons do still attend show times.

It’s hard to say how much longer The Pavilion can carry on in its current state, but some believe it doesn’t intend to. When the people stop going all together I wouldn’t surprise me if they simply shut the doors and converted it into luxury condos.