For as long as we have been able to communicate, we have been making sense of the world by telling stories. As consumers, we can engage with a story, creating a “story” with displays does not really mean making a visual that has a beginning, middle and end. What it means is creating an experience for the viewer.
In ” Windows of Wonder” we are looking at an art form that may not endure. Sad to tell, many of the remaining stores in New York, the capitol of window display, are becoming an endangered species. Legendary stores like Barney’s, Henri Bendel, and Lord & Taylor are no longer part of the cityscape.
For the last two years, I have strolled along Madison Ave, and Fifth Avenue, capturing window mannequins that exuded beauty and attitude.
I would only photograph mannequins when the city was reflected—quiet splendor against heavily-trafficked streets.
What fascinates me about window mannequins is juxtaposition of their high style, unchanging glamour and supreme confidence with the reflection of the decidedly, ever – changing more ordinary scene on the other side of the window. The vibrant energy of the street is in opposition to the elegant stillness of the mannequins perfect embellished environment.
Written by Rose Hartman
website: rosehartman.com
