DRAWING LIFE by fred hatt

For those of us who lived in New York City, the 11th of September, 2001 was a day of shock and loss, but the years following that day have been a slow-motion tragedy of squandered opportunities and betrayed values.  Here’s the story of the first five years following the attacks, told through pictures of signs and displays that I saw in my everyday urban peregrinations, in chronological order.

The flyer on the left reads:  “Arrest warmonger Bush!  A true genocidal Nuremberg criminal.”   The one on the right reads: “I’m digging my grave now, but SOON it will be YOUR turn.  War: Get used to it.  A message from the Ministry of Homeland Security.”

The caption on the image on the right says: “This will be our response to violence: To make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.  -Leonard Bernstein”

The caption on the flag reads: “To those we lost and their families, our prayers; to those who helped, our love; to those responsible, our wrath.”

The poster says: “Wanted Dead or Alive: Osama bin Laden, for mass murder in New York City.”

The poster on the trash receptacle reads: “If you see something, say something.  Be suspicious of anything unattended.  Tell a police officer, a Times Square Alliance employee, or call 1-888-NYC-SAFE.”

The poster says “George Fernandez.  His nickname was Boo.  Not just a statistic.”

The flyer says: “Seeking Information Alert.  These individuals are being sought in connection with possible terrorists threats against the United States.  Contact Information:  If you have any information concerning these individuals, please contact the local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.”

The city is a forest of signs, words and pictures vying for attention.  Most of them are highly transient, quickly posted over, vandalized or damaged.  They’re usually more interesting in their ruined state.

The cluster of pasted bills above is an example of a recent trend in advertising of using images that are eye-catching without any clear relationship to the product being sold.  Maybe the one above is about sweat socks, as those are the boring element juxtaposed with the iridescent butterflies and the child grotesque, but I really don’t know for sure.  I do think the weathering and paint stains absolutely enhance the collage.

There is something about the ruined signs that suggests that no voice can prevail and no rule can overcome the power of entropy:

A bulletin board that has been cleaned retains fragments of all the messages it has borne:

Some signs have been up for so long those responsible for them have long ago stopped noticing that they have deteriorated to the point of illegibility:

This one was on a Polish candy store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.  Isn’t that candy irresistible?:

Perhaps you’d prefer a flavored Italian ice?:

A sticker on a glass door is subject to the effects of the sun:

Rust has an almost camouflaging effect on this sign:

Layers of peeling paint blunt the danger, or at least the sign:

And this sign has fallen off the wall, leaving an intriguing calligraphy in dried glue:

If you love decay and erosion and ruined things, as I do, this mat will make you feel very welcome:

Here’s a fluorescent backlit poster, starting to go to seed in January:

And the same sign six months later, in a magnificent state of deterioration:

Some classic signs are worn down in a way that’s perfect.  This sign matches the building, and would hardly be improved by being spruced up:

Destroyed words and letters can be an aesthetic demonstration that “Time is an artist”.  Wrecked pictures of people have a more shocking effect:

They also tend to invite tampering in a way that verbal signs don’t:

A great smile makes you want to buy what’s for sale.  This one makes me want to run out and gather up some void!: