This is New York (NYC)
If I asked you to think about New York City what image comes to mind? Maybe a yellow taxi or the Empire State Building? For many people, especially those who’ve never been there in person, the image in their head is most likely to have come from art or pop culture.
Carrie Bradshaw’s SATC opening credits dress? Possibly a moody Edward Hopper scene? Seinfeld in the diner or Eloise in the plaza suite? Maybe it’s Eric B. & Rakim rapping in their huge gold chains? All of that and much, much more, is on display in an exhibit that takes over an entire floor of the Museum of the City of New York and “explores the many ways that the city has inspired storytelling across art forms”.
If you’re a Millennial or older then this exhibit is likely to be a pleasing nostalgia trip, because it’s overflowing with NYC pop culture gold from the 70’s through to the 00’s. And if you’ve ever lived in the city? Then your head just might explode from all of the familiar sights and sounds scattered throughout. Which did make me wonder just how impactful the experience might be to anyone else. Thankfully there’s more than enough interactivity to ensure that everyone can experience the most iconic media without having to rely on dry writing on the walls. Show don’t tell, as they say in film school.
In one corner you simply step on a borough to hear a random selection of tunes recorded in or about that area. Visual icons such as the Sesame Street lamp post and Chloe Sevigny’s t-shirt from Kids offer visual reminders of the breadth of the NYC youth experience, and the storyboards from Taxi Driver that Martin Scorsese drew himself are just as scary as Robert De Niro’s on-screen interpretation of Travis Bickle.
Speaking of the movies, the “You Are Here” section of the exhibit offers 16 screens wrapped around three walls, showcasing a dizzying montage of NYC scenes from the silver screen. Well known clips simultaneously play next to lesser known flicks at a breathtaking, big city pace. It’s exhilarating and I literally had to drag my friend out of the room, whilst secretly wishing we had time to sit and watch the entire thing. I’ve been told this will become a permanent exhibit in the museum, as well it should be.
In-between all the moving bits are photos, paintings, sculpture and explanatory wall text covering the century since the museum was founded. Even your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man makes an appearance, though I can’t recall seeing anything from Friends. Maybe I missed it, because from what I can recall there wasn’t much missing. Then again, it’s a big city and a big exhibit, and both have a lot to offer.
Plan your visit
‘This is New York’ runs until 21 July 2024.
Tickets from $20 adult / $14 students & seniors / under 20 go free
Visit mcny.org and follow @museumofcityny on Instagram for more info about the venue.
PLUS…
Check the What’s On page so you don’t miss any other great shows closing soon.
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