A collaboration with Melissa Goldstein and Cathy Gasser (Ono)

Sidewalks in the Soho area of New York City, New York, 1995

Photographs, polyester resin

Over two summers in New York City, we embedded hundreds of small photographs into cracks and holes in the cement sidewalks of Soho. By photographing ourselves in peaceful recumbent positions wrapped in white sheets, we recorded on film the intimate act of sleeping, then exposed those images to the harsh realities of well-trodden New York sidewalks. We worked either late at night or very early in the morning to avoid heavy foot traffic. After finding an appropriate hole, we chose a photograph, cut it to fit, and laid it in the hole. We mixed the two-part resin and poured it into the hole over the photograph. In some cases we hovered over the hole to protect the image until the resin set up. 

Within days, the one-inch diameter images disappeared into the inevitable grim. The next year we returned to embed larger images and many survived to be seen for a year or more. We liked the idea of making art in unusal places that could be discovered by chance. We noticed we had a “follower” when we saw that some resin-embedded photos appeared to have been dug up and taken away.