The first place we spent time was the St. Louis cemetery which we spotted while driving in and parked next to for the day.
The Cemetery takes up 3 city blocks and is located between government housing projects, the interstate, and ironically an RV park.
The cemetery reminded me one I saw in Haiti over the summer in the city of Grand Goave, where the new orphanage I worked on is going to be built. The contrast is interesting, the Haitians obviously lack the influence of Thomas Jefferson's grid ordinance. Funeral processions are also a common thread between the two places, parades led by brass bands and filled with hired mourners.
Every time we passed the cemetery in Grand Goave I would refer to it as the subdivision of the dead, because of the fact that for many the house they occupy when dead is comparable to the one they occupy while alive. The graves were actually about the half the size here.
After this we walked towards the French Quarter. We came upon several street performers. Many sections of N-S streets would be closed and full of people while the E-W streets remained open for traffic. We sat down and listened to this family band for a while.
Then we began meeting some people. New Orleans was one of the most polite cities that I have ever been to. I didn't meet a rude person the whole time I was there. Many people went out of their way to say hello or offer their help. I am also a big fan of the New Orleans accent. This fellow we met while watching the street band. He asked me to take a picture of him throwing away his now warm beer. He said he wanted use it as evidence in his case against the lady he was sitting next to. For some reason he said it was her fault his beer went warm. So I took a video which he said was even better than a photograph. We then showed it to his friend and successfully sued her for another beer. There are some people who simply need to be met.
We then somehow found ourselves on Bourbon Street which we wanted to avoid. But it turns out that labor day weekend is a big gay pride festival called Southern Decadence. So we investigated and found a vast array of leather, feathers, and very short shorts.
Then we began my favorite portion of the day, exploring the poor area that surrounding the French Quarter. There was alot of beautiful abandonment and over growth. There were many times Kyle would turn to me and simply say "nature is winning." Portions of sidewalk would have only a narrow path through the weeds and unkept grass.
We passed by this address, 1010 1/2. The occupant found a way to inhabit the space between the buildings.
We found my favorite one of Banky's pieces in the city. He came 3 years after the hurricane, saying his work was a commentary on the state of recovery. Much of his work has been covered with gray paint by a self appointed vigilante who people refer to as "the gray ghost". This piece was covered with a sheet of plexiglass. The building owner must have been one of the few who realized that the value of his building had doubled because of the fact it had been vandalized.
We then continued walking through the marginalized community surrounding the French Quarter, wondering how much houses cost, and commenting on which ones we would like to live in. We then ran into this nice man. He asked us if we wanted to take a family picture for him and said it was a once in a life time opportunity. So we did. He then told us about the nice picture that was on the wall of the house next to him. He probably didn't know who Banksy was, he simply observed that most people who passed by liked to photograph this pretty picture.
In closing a city is the people who live inside of it. We will return, I can't wait to meet more of the city.
In other news, I found a working, antique underwood typewriter on craigslist today for only $25. I'm picking up it up tomorrow.
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Tray,
ReplyDeleteThe Banksy's are great, I did not see these when I was there (They may not have been up). 2 things you have to go see: The Howard Memorial Library, it is based on plans by HH Richardson and was recently remodeled, I could not get in because of this. Take pictures and post them, I want to see. Also eat at Cochon, It is outstanding. Jim actually told me about this place.
http://www.cochonrestaurant.com/
Thanks, we'll check that stuff out next time we're there. The Cochon menu looks real good.
ReplyDeleteBanksy also recently did a piece concerning the oil spill.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/09/banksy-bp-oil-spill-kiddie-ride-dolphin.php
That cemetery looks so intriguing. I loved the picture you took with the billboard in the corner of the shot. It definitely reemphasizes your comment on the democratization of the land/application of the Jeffersonian grid. The whole context reminds me of the material significance we place on death. I can only imagine what the funerals would be like there as well as those which you saw while in Haiti. I couldn't help but think about Calvino and "Cities of the Dead" when looking at your photos.
ReplyDeleteIt was very reassuring to see the efforts taken to preserve the Banksy piece. I'm curious to see what will become of it once the building changes hands and someone else takes on ownership. What do you think Banksy says in response to the acts of the "gray ghost?" I would be interested in seeing the graffiti that results in response to his work/that which develops on the surfaces around it.
Southern Decadence looked extraordinary! I would've loved to see a tally of the number of jorts you spotted throughout the day.
Studio 4 will be making a trip to DC in the next couple weeks. I plan to approach the visit with the same attitude of optimism that you both did last week in the French Quarter. We plan to pay particular attention to the conditions in the more impoverished areas and will hopefully receive hospitality from at least one individual who will positively affect our preconceptions of the place. It is obvious and encouraging to see that you retained the lesson we learned while in Cincinnati. Hopefully our trip to DC will yield similar results.