Visit to the Revolution

I stopped by Liberty Square today to see how the Occupy Wall Street people were doing. The media all seem a bit amused by the protesters, emphasizing the earnest young vegan types and their lack of cohesive agenda. So I was pleasantly surprised to see a relatively diverse mix of people. There was an intelligent young woman seated at an information table encouraging people to sign a petition. There was a kitchen area, a library. Admittedly there was a drum circle and many young people tucked into sleeping bags. There were also people in suits and business attire who were clearly not journalists.

I am way too shy to photograph strangers on the street, which is why I am not a photojournalist. I photographed their feet instead.

These boots belong to Reverend Bill of the Church of Stop Shopping. He is one of my heroes. I would have voted for him when he ran for mayor, but then he got arrested at a G20 meeting in Pittsburgh and I realized that he was not actually suitable mayor material. I still love him and I would go to his Black Friday protest at Macy's except that I am usually recovering from Thanksgiving and cannot cope with going anywhere - no shopping, no protesting. We smiled at each other. I am also too shy to do the groupie thing with celebrities which is why I have never spoken to Willem Defoe despite having seen him on the street three times (I even saw him at the protest of the Iraq war). I liked the way Reverend Billy kind of shimmered around, chatting with people, listening to the earnest youth perched on his overturned megaphone.
 

One of the people in suits had his trousers tucked into these boots. He seemed like a lawyer, of the public defender variety.
 

The lawyer type was talking with someone from Reverend Billy's entourage, a man who wore a well cut suit, but had long hair and sunken eyes giving him the look of a roadie with a heavy metal band. I think the sandaled feet belong to Riley Waggaman who is sending dispatches to Wonkette. These are my celebrities; anti-capitalist reverends and political blog interns, no Susan Sarandan for me (I think I just missed her)

This was a real photojournalist, judging by the shoe and cuffed jeans I am guessing he was French.
 

Lest one think it was all public defenders and hippies...
 

Although there were plenty of hippies.
 

I love this woman's feet because they demonstrate a fashion faux-pas, she should really get those trousers hemmed.
 

At least she was protected from the mud unlike this fellow with his rope sandals.
 

This sneaker was on the foot of a cool gentleman with his hair in a wrap. It was really peaceful in the park. The noise seemed subdued, the air felt a little cooler. A grey haired man in a suit walked slowly through the gathering with a smile on his face. I really liked the energy there. The information lady tried to convince me to come back for a sleepover, but I do not think I am up for that. I did bring them apples though.
 

When I walked away back uptown, I saw the statue of Audrey Munson on top of the Municipal Building, holding her wreath of victory.

Visitation - Audrey Munson (1891-1996)

I was not getting anywhere with my Wish You Were Here project. I was not getting any new images of friends who wanted to visit. So the idea evolved in my head. I decided to bring out cool historical figures and give them the chance to revisit New York.

Audrey Munson seemed as good a person as any to start with. I had read the New York Times article about her last year. She was an artist's model in the years before World War I. She posed for statues that are all around the city. She was the model for the gold Civic Fame statue on top of the Municipal Building and she can be found at the bottom of the Manhattan Bridge. She apparently was the first woman to appear totally nude in a film. She was also a journalist. After she left the city for her home town, she attempted suicide and eventually was committed to an insane asylum where she lived until her death at 105. The Times article portrayed her as something of a victim spinning a cautionary tale of what happens to bohemians who leave New York City. But perhaps she was just really crazy in that larger than life, flouncing around naked kind of way.

Since most of the pictures of Audrey Munson are in the nude, I decided that this was how she would visit. I am sure she would have been curious to see Times Square and the theater district which was just becoming popular when she was there. But I was trying out a new fastener and I didn't think it would work with the new sign posts. So I figured she would also be happy near Union Square which was still a busy area.





I thought she might like to see the Bowery which has changed almost as much as Times Square.



Although from some perspectives it would still be familiar, perhaps.



The area around Madison Square Park was quite chic in her day and the Metlife tower was the tallest in the world. It is also really pretty so I hung her picture there.



Audrey Munson would have spent a lot of time in Greenwich Village where the artists were, so that I brought her there.




Watching her float over the city in striking her classic Beaux Arts pose, I really hope that Audrey Munson had a nice visit.

I will still work on the Wish You Were Here project, so anyone who promised me pictures are still welcome to send them. Regis, the one who started it all, just told me that he is taking my picture with him to Jordan. I hope he sends me snapshots and if he does, I will post them here.

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