It's a bit cliché, I suppose, to talk about New York City's "characters," but arriving here from South America years ago, I couldn't help but be struck by them -- and drawn to them, performers in particular.

I was also, of course, seduced by the city's landscape, especially a small, quiet, sliver in the heart of TriBeCa called Staple Street, which I came across quite by chance one day on one of my meandering walks with my camera.

And so a quest was born: I set out to connect with different characters and performers from all over the city by bringing them to this narrow and interesting space.

I met artists and eccentrics of all stripes -- dancers, jugglers, actors, magicians, body painters, mimes, card sharks, singers, clowns. They were vibrant, defiant, shy, sad, sly, witty, odd, exuberant, angry, giving -- a perfect representation of the city itself, and of this tiny street that dates back to at least the early 19th century.

There’s something about Staple Street that I can’t explain with words. Maybe it’s the narrowness of the street, which makes me feel protected, cut off from the rest of the city; or maybe it’s the arched bridge between the buildings, a sort of monument to urban connection; or maybe it’s the dilapidated sidewalk that always seems on the verge of repair but never quite makes it, a little like some of the performers I met.

The street still has a grimy, industrial, and to me, romantic feel to it despite its proximity to the trendy, high-end real estate that has spread throughout lower Manhattan like an oil slick. The people I met and photographed have maintained a similar integrity, and thus for me, provided a similar romance.

The result: my exploration of the most interesting subjects one can find in New York City, encapsulated in a timeless place.

Çeviri (translation by) : Berna AKCAN

 

www.chriszedano.com

www.staplestreetproject.com

I come from Lima, Peru and I have been residing in New York City since 2002. My interest in photography emerged while I was processing images at a photo studio. My enthusiasm intensified after witnessing a friend’s passionate commitment to photography. I began by simply taking casual photographs during my free time. My different types of photography have been used in marketing as well as advertisement campaigns.

EDUCATION

•School of Visual Arts - Continuing Education - Fashion Photography Workshop

•School of Visual Arts - Continuing Education - Lighting Workshop

•Universidad de Lima - Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering

ARTIST STATEMENT

Photography allows me to express my interpretation of the world around me, to explore fragments of life and to interact with people with whom I would normally not engage. My camera is my passport to an unexplored world. 

I am deeply interested in people. My subject choice derives from my innate curiosity. I am curious as to what lies behind their eyes, where they have been and where they hope to go.

My photographs are not always a true representation of the subject in front of my camera. I scrutinize the subjects in front of me, break the paradigms and generalizations and create my own interpretation.

An image should evoke a feeling and my goal as a photographer is to determine what that feeling is, whether positive or negative, happy or sad, true or ironic, reality or fantasy. My desire is for my images to trigger something very profound within the observer.