DIANE ARBUS - THE PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK. Magnum Photos Photographer Portfolio. Elliott Erwitt. Magnum Photos Photographer Portfolio. Candid Portraits of 1960s Passengers Riding the NYC Subway. Over the last century, the New York subway system has dramatically developed and changed, and it continues to do so today. Despite the ever-changing surroundings, passengers on an NYC train seem to remain basically the same. The men, women, and children of any decade can be seen reading newspapers, staring out the window, or even catching a quick snooze between stops.
In the 1960's, photographer Enrico Natali created an extensive study of this subway behavior in his series, aptly titled New York Subway. He captured a wide range of personalities and characters that filled the cars, rushed up and down the stairs, and stood waiting on platforms for their trains to arrive. The beautiful black and white portraits of unsuspecting subjects elegantly convey the many moments of waiting that occur in the massively complex underground system. Enrico Natali's website via [Everyday I Show] Priceless Reactions of Subway Riders When Suddenly Slept Upon. Imagine you're riding the subway. Now, how would you react if a stranger suddenly fell asleep on your shoulder? Would you laugh and then let that person sleep on you or would you quickly move seats? Brooklyn-based artist George Ferrandi is behind an eye-opening project called It Felt Like I Knew You that captures the priceless reactions of commuters when they get a little "too close" to a person they've never met.
The site-specific performance piece, which began in 2012, has Ferrandi slowly slumping in her seat and then resting her head on a stranger's shoulder. Across the way, Ferrandi's accomplice Angela Gilland secretly captures the fascinating interventions using her iPhone. As Ferrandi states about the project, "I attempt to mentally and emotionally re-sculpt that space.
In my mind, I reshape it - from the stiff and guarded space between strangers to the soft and yielding space between friends.