On Wednesday Feb 28th, 35 sixth form students including myself travelled over the Atlantic to one of the world’s most famous cities - New York. Typical British weather meant that the ‘Beast from the East’ required us to meet at a painful time of 1.45am. Tired and cold but eager to arrive, we managed the smooth journey to Heathrow ready for our Virgin Atlantic flight.
Upon arrival in the heart of the upper eastside, we were greeted by a mild afternoon where we headed to our hotel, accompanied by our wonderful guide Betty. Although the thought of a bed was tempting with the majority of us running on a couple of hours sleep, we ventured out into the city where we caught the subway from Grand Central Station to our first gallery visit, the International Centre of Photography.
After a much needed rest, we awoke to the Nor’easter; a powerful storm that sent a combination of heavy rain, snow, sleet and hail along with high winds and tides all during a single day (some might say we were home away from home). Not wanting to waste our precious time, we soldiered on and arrived at our first destination of the day - Chelsea Market. This inside collection of small stools and shops was beautifully decorated with low lighting and a rustic interior, unique to anything I had come across back home. The Whitney Museum of American art was next with Phoebe Barden in Year 12 Photography commenting,
“This museum was full of diverse exhibitions presenting work from a range of artists, each focusing on different subject matter. I was particularly intrigued by the floor dedicated to “An incomplete history of protest.”
This exhibition explored the social injustices of American society and more importantly the protests which followed. This included a series of posters from the 1960s in reference to the Vietnam War and work challenging the idea of discrimination and prejudice in the art world. For me the most moving work was that from the art collective named “The Guerrilla Girls”. This is a group of female artists and influencers who formed a protest movement against the exclusion of women and people of colour in art exhibitions and on a wider scale. It was interesting to see that The Whitney were displaying this work, as they were a direct target of the movement. This exhibition acted as a way to see how real, social issues could be explored and presented in art, graphics and photography and showed how closely linked the art world is to our everyday lives.
Due to the dreadful weather we were unable to sail to the Statue of Liberty, so instead opted to visit the World Trade Centre and Ground Zero. The moving display of commemoration was evident immediately upon arrival with Luana Melmoth-Coombs, studying Photography in Year 12 saying,
“My favourite and most memorable moment from NY was when we visited Ground Zero where the 9/11 terrorist attack happened. Although unplanned I was so happy we got this opportunity."
I was shocked at the vastness of the memorial and it was so overwhelming seeing the names of the victims engraved around the edge of a massive water filled deep hole. I decided to visit the museum, where I was touched by amazing artwork that was dedicated to the victims and the survivors as well as videos to keep their memory alive. The museum allowed me to learn beyond the event and to discover what happened to the families it affected and the recovery process of victims.
By Saturday, the blizzard-like storm had passed enabling us to walk past and through Central Park, which opened up to a gorgeous reservoir that served picturesque views of the infamous sky line, to the Museum of the City of New York. Jasmine Nandoo, a Year 13 Photography and Graphics student said,
“The MCNY was one of the many highlights of the trip. Learning about New York visually was a completely different way of understanding American history. The fashion section of the museum was by far my best experience - understanding how icons such as Jacqueline Kennedy have influenced American fashion was particularly interesting. I found that the exhibitions here provided masses of material for my school projects as well as feeding other interests; the whole trip provided more material than I know what to do with for both Graphic design and Photography but this was also a great cultural experience for me in a broader sense”.
In the afternoon, we visited the iconic Guggenheim gallery and saw Josef Albers exhibition. The amazing architecture was a favourite of many of the students with Ewan Coleman, a Year 13 Photography and Graphics student saying,
“This Frank Lloyd Wright building really stood out for me because of the unusual architectural aesthetics which consisted of a cone-like structure on top of the main entrance, rising upwards. The skylight reminded me of a kaleidoscope pattern because of the complex metalwork. Albers Mexican show was perfectly relevant for my project and I will be able to produce responses by looking for geometric patterns at historical sites and clearly contrasting contemporary with ancient architecture”.
Zet Roper-Blackman in Year 13 Graphics and Art also enjoyed the gallery and commented that,
“The Guggenheim museum was a fascinating place, not only because of the vast range of artwork found inside but because of the building’s incredible architecture. The winding spiral which makes up the building’s gallery space was the perfect backdrop to experience the art of Danh Vo and Josef Albers.”
That evening saw our trip up the Empire State Building. Despite learning a lot from the gallery visits and the art, photography and graphics displayed within them, this was by far the highlight for me. Our slot was booked for the evening so when we arrived the sun had long set, giving way to a moody sky above. Upon arrival, the grandeur of the building was immediate. It had a 1920s style decor which reflected the beauty of the exterior within the interior. We were quickly taken up to the 80th floor via a lift equipped with a short animation of the construction of the building. Stepping out, the views before us were art in themselves. The concrete jungle below glistened at every angle. Although dark, a sea of lights could be seen for miles and miles and the cars and people below were barely distinguishable. Infamous skyscrapers towered ahead; it was truly breathtaking. We then had the opportunity to travel up to the 82nd floor and step out on the balcony of the building. Due to the storm the previous day the wind was scarily powerful, making the height we were at even more intense. However, seeing the views from outside along with the sounds of the city below, only strengthened their beauty more. I will never forget it.
On our final morning, we finally travelled by boat to Liberty Island. The panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline were spectacular. The statue herself was amazing to see up-close and concluded our trip in the best way possible.
By Lindsay Cain
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