The four screens of Josh Melnick’s solo show at Art in General appear still, or almost still. His tightly framed portraits of train travelers slowly scan from cheek to cheek. A flash from a subway light behind a head seems everlasting. A blink seems momentous. And in this slowed realm we are invited to stare — to extend an intimate gaze onto a stranger in a way that numbs the very aspects that make them “strange.” We are allowed, if we choose, a chance to redirect our understanding of another human being, to see them beyond the narrative, to see the connective element in all the passengers, and to see ourselves as another passenger too.
2 Comments
If on the 8 train is really as described, just a passing snapshot in a train, of a random person…how on earth does Josh Melnick get around model releases and fear of being taken to court? Further, how does Dossier publish something like this, under these conditions? As a photo-journalist for over 30 years, I can tell you that this is no small matter.
He got the permission of each subject (although not the MTA). You can read more about Melnick’s process here:
http://www.anthemmagazine.com/story/1601?id=story_pager&page=0%2C1