Avenue S Reflection / Yardley, PA 1997 Presentation Links

October 19, 2025 nortojas803583d717

Avenue S

Once entering the piece and I first notice the rectangle shapes that automatically depict what many were going through globally during the pandemic having your surroundings boxed in, separated, isolated. The dates on the front of each replicated for me the idea of a Time Capsule, or a day in one’s life that was significant. Whatever content would be inside is going to be meaningful to someone if not me, or create a sense of belonging, interaction that many of us were deprived of. Also, a morbid image was present also that of a mausoleum for remembrance with all the rectangles and having dates on them. Like a piece of each person who had died in some way but was left behind for remembrance when you click on the title. There is sometimes filled with memories, items of the pandemic that we all become familiar with such as nylon gloves. There were so many interesting pieces in Ghost City Avenue S. I think we were all more at play, willing to dive deep into our imaginations for mental health reasons, something that we were not allowing ourselves to do when things were “normal” and our lives being filled with all the social and professional distractions of everyday living. The opportunity to express ourselves and still have some kind of voice, interaction with life had opened up in so nonconventional ways and the resources around us were used as extension of those surroundings, people or lack of as well to also resist what was happening or have a coping mechanism outside our uncertain worried thoughts by creating. Being reminded and having an archive of all the social aspects we took and still take for granted, and freedoms such as lingering effects when everything seemed to lack life, meaning, interactions, color.

In some of the pieces the movable elements started as a small, isolated piece, boundaries set with their lines which then overflow or expand outwards similar to what happened as things started to open back up in society. We took small steps, still distancing ourselves due to our own comfort levels and willingness to trust again ourselves, others, and powers to be. The shapes filled up at times in a type of unilateral patterns, or in conjunction with each other simultaneously. Then at points there was disbursement of movement from the inner core to the outer like one reaching out and expanding their presence into one’s surroundings.

The one release and escape during that time was creating art and taking advantage of our resources. Our identities and how they changed were put in flux with the things we no longer had around us, interactions to validate who we are. I think a lot of the Ghost City clips were strongly about one’s identity, fantasy and playing role away from the current world that was being offered with uncertainties, fears, loneliness. Many of the artwork’s movements were morphs or mirrors of each other. Isolated and Alone depicting urban life and the changes brought to social interaction and energy that was once prominent in the streets and neighborhoods amongst each other.