Well known and regarded photographer and documentarian of the graffiti and Street Art scene, Luna Park has a voracious appetite for combing the bushy overgrown abandoned areas in the margins of our urban landscape in search of a perfect tag, throwie, burner. An enthusiastic and knowledgeable expert on the graffiti scene, her thousands of images made her a lot of Internet friends and fans when Flickr blew up and she now authors The Street Spot with Becki Fuller. Today Luna tells us about a spring ’13 adventure she had that included a trip to the rail yards in New Orleans.
Read. New Orleans 2013. (photo © Luna Park)
READ in New Orleans
~Luna ParkIn early spring of 2013, I made a pilgrimage to New Orleans. The trip marked the end of a year of personal hardship and it was important to celebrate this milestone by escaping from New York. New Orleans had been on my mind since my last visit in 1993.
I was eager to reconnect with this special place in American history, to finally meet in person kindred spirits I’d previously only known online, and to hunt down as much graffiti as possible within a short timeframe. New Orleans was eye opening, a contradiction in terms, at once deeply ravaged and depressed, yet at the same time vibrant and full of life.
The rail lines which make up the backbone of the city are visually and also very much audibly omnipresent. Standing on an overpass overlooking this massive freight yard was a strangely euphoric experience. There were unfettered sight lines to several (!) entirely new-to-me Read pieces. And as a student of graffiti history and a closet rail nerd, the proximity to so many freight trains – the modern day successors to the painted NYC subways – filled me with tremendous awe and respect. Watching these steel behemoths come and go was a beautiful and for me very necessary reminder that life carries on – cherish it and embrace the beauty around you.
The rail lines which make up the backbone of the city are visually and also very much audibly omnipresent. Standing on an overpass overlooking this massive freight yard was a strangely euphoric experience. There were unfettered sight lines to several (!) entirely new-to-me Read pieces. And as a student of graffiti history and a closet rail nerd, the proximity to so many freight trains – the modern day successors to the painted NYC subways – filled me with tremendous awe and respect. Watching these steel behemoths come and go was a beautiful and for me very necessary reminder that life carries on – cherish it and embrace the beauty around you.
A very heartfelt thank you to Steve and Jaime for their ongoing friendship and support!
Artist: Read
Location: New Orleans, 2013.
#13from2013
Check out our Brooklyn Street Art 2013 Images of the Year by Jaime Rojo here.
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA
Please note: All content including images and text are © BrooklynStreetArt.com, unless otherwise noted. We like sharing BSA content for non-commercial purposes as long as you credit the photographer(s) and BSA, include a link to the original article URL and do not remove the photographer’s name from the .jpg file. Otherwise, please refrain from re-posting. Thanks!
<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA<<>>><><<>BSA<<>>><<<>><><BSA
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Coney Art Walls Opens for the Mermaids! Update V
Dude/Dudette, it's Mermaid Parade Day - part of Coney's modern pop-carney cultural heritage. Rolling up Surf Avenue, turning right and coming back down the boardwalk, the three decade old event is bot...
Dude/Dudette, it's Mermaid Parade Day - part of Coney's modern pop-carney cultural heritage. Rolling up Surf Avenue, turning right and coming back down the boardwalk, the three decade old event is bot...
1UP in Berlin : “ ‘All City’ Doesn’t Even Begin to Cover It ”
An amorphous shape-shifting consortium of Berlin-based aerosol hooligans named 1UP is one of those graffiti crews who eventually make the entry into graffiti street lore because of the scope and darin...
An amorphous shape-shifting consortium of Berlin-based aerosol hooligans named 1UP is one of those graffiti crews who eventually make the entry into graffiti street lore because of the scope and darin...
BSA Film Friday: 11.11.22
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening:1. The Wanderers - Rone. A Film by Selina Miles2. The Wanderers - Georgia Hill. A Film by Selina ...
Our weekly focus on the moving image and art in the streets. And other oddities. Now screening:1. The Wanderers - Rone. A Film by Selina Miles2. The Wanderers - Georgia Hill. A Film by Selina ...
BSA Images OF The Week: Nuart Aberdeen Edition
End of Passover for many, the best day of Easter weekend for others, just another spring day for still others, and a fine finish to our little Aberdeen excursion. As we rea...
End of Passover for many, the best day of Easter weekend for others, just another spring day for still others, and a fine finish to our little Aberdeen excursion. As we rea...
MOMO Paints Massive Work Across Lobby in Boston
Corporate Space, Happy Universal Shapes, and Additive Averaging Two unusual aspects distinguish todays' posting. One is that the featured project by the remarkable street artist MOMO is not actually ...
Corporate Space, Happy Universal Shapes, and Additive Averaging Two unusual aspects distinguish todays' posting. One is that the featured project by the remarkable street artist MOMO is not actually ...