Every now and then, as I’m walking around in New York City, I might see something on the sidewalk or in the street that seems a lot more interesting than perhaps it should be. For example, the muffin wrapper that I thought looked like a flower back in September. If you look at the picture above, does it look like garbage? Or a nice large-scale abstact painting? In fact, I think it qualifies as both.
Truth is, I was walking around the Chelsea neighborhood in Manhattan when I spotted something bright yellow on the sidewalk. Someone had dropped this white and yellow bag (below left), which upon a closer look, seems to be a take-out bag from the Electric Lemon restaurant, located in Hudson Yards. But what is interesting – in addition to the color and texture – was the way it was perfectly flat, like a steamroller had driven over it a half dozen times. If it had been in the street, I can see a few cars or trucks helping to flatten it, but this was on the sidewalk. At any rate, there was something about the way the folds made new patterns and the weathered flat look made it look like a nice abstract art work.
I’m not sure I’d want it as big as I portrayed it above, but it has some artistic potential in this flattened and dirty form, don’t you think?
