We’re huge fans these Alan Wolfson miniature Times Square sculptures. Before Walt Disney moved in to Times Square it was a hotbed of Grindhouse cinemas, peep shows and seedy motels making it 200 times more exciting than the over-sanitised commercial heavy tourist hotspot it is now. So it is up to Alan Wolfson’s amazing Miniature Urban Environment sculptures to take us back and capture a glimpse of the darker underbelly of urban landscapes pre-gentrification. His meticulously crafted photo-real replicas of times gone by offer a snapshot of what once was.
Work…
Describing my work to someone who has never seen it can be a bit tricky. I usually have to start by saying; ‘…well, it’s not painting and it’s not traditional sculpture…’ Although there are aspects of those crafts that go into my work. The work is a hybrid of several different disciplines. For simplicity I refer to them as Miniature Urban Environments. Because they have a narrative component to them, there are also theatrical elements involved. I never include people in the works, but use inanimate objects to tell a story. Things people leave behind (garbage, graffiti, a tip in a restaurant, a door left ajar…) help the viewer to imagine what just happened there. The lighting (which is built into the pieces) helps to set a mood for the scene. In many ways, my process is similar to building a set for a movie or stage play – you have the scenery, the props and the lighting.
The process…
I’ll think about the piece for a long time, visualizing, problem-solving; by the time I get ready to start something, I’ve usually thought about it for months. I’ll take photographs and do as much research as I can on the details of the location. I’ll make a couple of scribbled thumb-nail sketches, and then draft out the architecture and build a cardboard mock-up. That allows me to check the sight lines and see where the walls are going to go and figure out if everything’s going to fit. I’ll also determine where I’m going to hide lighting and how to make it accessible. The piece has to be as simple as possible to disassemble so you can maintain the lighting, if necessary. Once I get the mock-up the way I want it, I’ll start building sections of the piece. Most of what I do is built out of plastic. Sometimes I’ll just start tearing the mock-up apart and substitute plastic walls in place of the cardboard ones.
Being a voyeur in the scene…
Writers have said that my work creates a safe way of being a voyeur. There’s something mysterious and intriguing and even attractive about those environments, but I don’t know how comfortable most people feel in them in real life. Creating them gives me a window into them but also allows me to maintain control over them; the viewer can have the experience of having been to these places without having to confront the people who inhabit them. It’s true that almost every piece I’ve ever done, in my mind, is a night scene. I’m a night person, and I think there’s more potential for an interesting story at night. A woman once asked me why I did these kinds of scenes. I said, “What do you think I should be doing?” She suggested cathedrals. That sent a chill up my spine. I thought, why would I want to do that? I find these environments far more interesting than a lot of others. They may not be pleasant, but there’s something about them … And I do feel a certain impulse to preserve some of our architectural past. I find it offensive that there is little or no effort whatsoever to do that. So many great old buildings have been bulldozed to make parking lots. It’s unforgivable.
Inspiration from the environment…
I seldom replicate an environment exactly as it exists. I might take details from several different locations and incorporate them into one environment. More often than not it’s a combination of different elements from existing locations along with architecture I make up. Even if I’m replicating an existing location I almost always end up changing something in the environment. Not everything in the real world is visually interesting. Times Square… Although much of what Times Square used to be was distasteful to most people, it was a genuine representation of the subculture that exists in the city. Instead of making Times Square the tourist mecca it now is, it would have been nice if the politicians put some resources into dealing with some of the social problems instead of just relocating them to other places. When I go to Times Square now, I’m reminded of being at an amusement park. Everything seems planned and scripted; nothing can go wrong — everything is wonderful. It’s not the real world.
NYC…
Although I’ve lived away from New York for several years I am still inspired by the city. I go back there often, and as soon as I get off the plane at Kennedy, I feel as though I never left. It’s all very familiar to me. Despite the changes in the architecture and that Times Square has been transformed into a ‘tee-shirt emporium’, the city is still an amazing place to be. I love going to the museums and galleries and just walking around the different neighborhoods. I usually return home from NY with ideas for a new project. Despite whatever changes have been made – the thing that will never change is the energy of that city, and I do find that inspiring.
Influences…
There are several artists who have influenced my work. A few that come to mind are: Edward Hopper, Joseph Cornell and Edward Kienholz. Of course I’m not a Photorealist Painter but I’ve always been inspired by the Photorealist movement. Richard Estes’ work has inspired me both for this urban subject matter and his attention to detail. Probably the thing that influenced me the most was the fact that my father was an artist. I grew up visiting the art museums in New York, and was always encouraged to continue drawing and building things when I was a kid.
Check out more of the Alan Wolfson amazing miniature Urban sculptures here:
