High summer in Bushwick can be a sensory experience better left to the imagination. Where I live, in the bowels of industrial Bushwick, there are several mysterious, windowless buildings that process or manufacture a variety of distinct odor producing goods. This particular area is home to a trash processing plant (or something?), some kind of fish or oyster building, and several high volume bakeries producing some kind of sicky sweet treats, which would seem a welcome break to this trifecta of nauseating smells, but in fact only confuses the senses, especially because the strength and volume of this scent is overwhelming and heavy. Traversing through this, especially while on a bicycle or in a car with open windows, is easier than walking and really gives you a sense of the diversity of commerce in the area, and when you break through to the semi-fresh air on the other side of Flushing, it leaves you with a bizarre knowledge from behind the scenes that I feel is absent in other parts of the city. I cannot say it is not a total chore to come to appreciate this environment, but sometimes it is easy to take for granted what is placed neatly in a grocery store for you, and understanding the work and sheer volume that goes into the production of pretty much anything we do consume on a daily basis, can be a humbling reminder of our actions and the commerce we partake in. I suggest seeing Manufactured Landscapes, a documentary following a photographer who seeks out imagery depicting this notion on a much grander scale and in much more dire circumstances. Micro and macro.
July 14, 2013 - shirt
July 14, 2013 - shorts
July 14, 2013 - as worn