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  • Wage the Uglydoll Keeping Watch in Green-Wood Cemetery

    Orange stuffed animal resting in the crook of a tree in a cemetery.

    Earlier this year, Y and I found this Wage Uglydoll lying on the ground and covered in mud where three paths converge by a tree in Green-Wood Cemetery. It was the day after a windy thunderstorm. We we weren’t sure if he had been blown off a headstone or dropped by a cemetery visitor, so we propped him up in this tree so he’s be easy to see by anyone passing by in case they had lost him. Or, if he had been left on a grave, at least he would be within eye-shot.

    It has been months since we last saw Wage in the cemetery, because the weather has been too oppressive to go for a walk there. Thankfully, it was in the 70s yesterday, so we ventured out to the cemetery for a long walk. Wage was right where we left him keeping watch over the comings and goings in his corner of the graveyard.

    Considering his namesake, he has escaped the trappings of wage-earning by leaving capitalism behind. His life is now living up a tree in the sun amongst a little bit of nature in the heart of the big city.

    Orange stuffed animal resting in the crook of a tree in a cemetery.

  • Reflected Buildings in Manhattan

    Glass windows on a highrise building reflects the stone facade of the building on the opposite side of the street.

    Standing on E 41st St between 5th Ave. and Madison Ave. in Manhattan, I liked how buildings on one side of the street created these slightly distorted reflections of the buildings on the side of the street where I was standing. The reflected images seem like the wobbly straight lines in images generated by Stable Diffusion–kind of like seeing the thing reflected in a mirror with slight imperfections–not quite a fun house mirror but going in that direction.

  • Like Dematerializing in a Star Trek Transporter: Mme. Kupka Among Verticals by František Kupka

    Painting of a face showing through bright vertical lines.

    Czech painter František Kupka‘s Mme. Kupka Among Verticals (1910-1911) on display at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan evokes what we see much later as being dematerialized for matter transport in Star Trek. In particular, Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s season six, episode 2 titled “Realm of Fear” features Lt. Barclay (Dwight Schultz, aka Murdock from The A-Team) facing his fears of the transporter and unwittingly saving the missing crew members of the USS Yosemite who were trapped in the transporter’s matter stream.

  • Blue Polygonal Sculpture in Manhattan Titled “Jean-Marc”

    Low-resolution polygonal statue of a human figure standing on a sidewalk in Manhattan

    This blue sculpture looks like a blue polygonal figure that has stepped out of a mid-1990s Playstation game. The sculpture is called “Jean-Marc” and was made by Xavier Veilhan. It’s located in Manhattan near MOMA.

  • Listen by Jim Rennert in Manhattan

    Close up of Listen sculpture by Jim Rennert. It is a human figure holding a finger over its mouth indicating silence. Highrise buildings in the background.

    Jim Rennert’s Listen is an imposing sculpted figure where Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture used to be in Manhattan. Of the two, I think there’s a lot more value in its message of being silent so that you can listen to what others have to say. One must be silent to listen. Listening is the foundation of understanding, trust, and cooperation. Unfortunately, there were no crowds around this statue like there used to be for the LOVE sculpture. This important symbol seems to be less photogenic for some.