about the project.
I believe that inequality will be the most crucial issue facing New York in the next four years. Both the lower and the middle class are being priced out of a city torn between extreme Manhattan wealth and poignant poverty in the outer boroughs. This became especially obvious to me in the wake of Hurricane Sandy when Wall Street regained electric power after only three days, while certain areas of Brooklyn went dark for over a month. There is nothing more cruel than being poor in a place that is rich with resources and I truly believe that we should make sure that everybody has an opportunity to fulfill their potential.
My submission to Envision New York 2017 consists of several interactive vignettes attempting to bring economic extremes into stark contrast. High-tech architecture looms over slum neighborhoods. Overcrowded and dysfunctional public transportation is shown alongside the comforts of private transportation. The power of automated law enforcement and surveillance is shown hovering over those that have little social or economic power. These contrasts are not always visible in daily life, because the extremes are separated by physical barriers or by distance. By bringing them together I hope to create a warning sign that can guide policy makers, voters, and activist towards a brighter, and more egalitarian future.
about the artist.
Emil Choski spent the first nine years of his youth in Poland, witnessing the collapse of the Soviet Regime and the transition into a market economy. The remainder of his childhood was spent in the suburbs of Trenton, New Jersey, where he took a strong interest in mathematics, art, and the then-nascent Internet. In 2002, he moved to NYC to attend the School of Visual Arts and received a degree in Fine Arts in 2007. He currently lives and works in Manhattan.