Tracing Shadows
Tuesday, December 13th, 2005
Many, many chalk tracings of hydrants and bicycles started cropping up all over Brooklyn this past spring.
During daylight, the outlines did not make much sense. Shopkeepers and bar owners had little information. Deliverymen muttered to themselves as they moved their outlined bicycles indoors. Parents were just as confused as their young children.
But under the orange glow of the streetlights, the intent became clear: the outlines are shadows, burned into the sidewalk.
Shadow art was born out of the experience of being mugged, and the shadow of the machete-wielding assailant was burned in the artist’s mind.