Creative Time Video

A short video about me, shot and produced by Howard Silver for Creative Time, is here:http://creativetime.org/programs/archive/2009/cttv/?p=138

urbanautica.com - "Memories from the Underground"

Some of my photos are being shown on the excellent photography site Urbanautica.com.
On the website: http://www.urbanautica.com (In Italian by default, but you can change to English)
Via Facebook feed: http://www.facebook.com/pages/urbanautica/84597496009

"An Urban Spelunker Pursues His Vision," The Westsider, June 18 2009, Front Page

"An Urban Spelunker Pursues His Vision" 

The Westsider

June 18 2009, Front Page

Article by Ryann Liebenthal, front page photo by Steve Duncan

 

Website of the Week at the Evening Leader Newspaper, North Wales

So I was in Russia, running through tunnels under Moscow and being terrified of the militisia (sort of the federal police), when I got this email:

to: steve@undercity.org
date: Fri, Jun 5, 2009 at 6:10 PM
subject: Website of the week

Hi Steve,
Your site has made it onto our website of the week column at the Evening Leader newspaper in North Wales...Keep up the good work. My editor particularly loves your New York photography.
http://www.eveningleader.co.uk/breaktime/Best-of-the-web-.5335134.jp

Cheers,
Mark

 I gotta admit, I was definitely a bit excited about this. North Wales is one of those areas that seemed more legend than reality when I was reading about it as a child. It contained the kingdom of Gwynedd, the Llŷn Peninsula, and has a mountain range called Snowdonia. Rivers have names like the River Dyfrdwy, the River Conwy, and the River Dyfi. Anyone who ever read Lloyd Alexander as a child and fell in love with Princess Eilonwy will doubtless understand my excitement over this part of the world.

Anyway, regardless of my love of Welsh names, I know I'm in good company because Mark's "Best of the Web" column, in follwing weeks, also included things like Alias' excellent photography (mostly of sites in the UK) at http://www.guerillaphotography.fotopic.net/, and Tom Kirsch's - AKA Motts - beautiful photos (primarily from sites in the NYC region) at http://www.opacity.us.

Solo Show at the BoConcept Store in Cambridge, MA, May 21-June 21, 2009

A selection of nineteen of my photographs are being shown at the BoConcept Store in Cambridge, MA from May 21-June 30, 2009

Location:

BoConcept Cambridge

999 Mass Ave

Cambridge, MA 02138

Tel. 617 588 7777

On the cable of the GW Bridge - With permission!

New York Post
April 14, 2009
Article by Don Kaplan
My deepest thanks to Don for taking me along as the photographer on such a fun assignment! Don is an excellent writer and a deeply interested & thoughtful reporter. It's too bad that it didn't get more space to run-- I think that there should have been more of both his article and my photos.

Hudson River Railroad- Question for Readers:

Dear Readers,

I'm trying to determine for sure when the Hudson River Railroad along Manhattan's West Side Line first opened, and specifically when the first railroad bridge opened that carried the line across the Spuyten Duyvil Creek. Can you help?

According to this 1988 article from the NY Times, the railroad:

"...crossed Spuyten Duyvil Creek, now the Harlem River, on a wooden drawbridge. The bridge was built no later than 1848, when service was extended to Fishkill. Later, service was extended to Albany, and points west and north."

http://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/06/realestate/streetscapes-spuyten-duyvil-swing-bridge-restoring-a-link-in-the-city-s-lifeline.html(This statement is already a bit suspect because the mouth of Spuyten Duyvil Creek is not technically the "Harlem River," but is rather part of the Harlem River Ship Canal that connects the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.)

A more comprehensive, but contradictory history of the bridge is here:
http://www.washington-heights.us/history/archives/spuyten_duyvil_swing_bridge_30.html
This article by James Renner says that "The New York & Hudson River Railroad was incorporated on May 6, 1847" and that:

The first tracks were opened on September 29, 1849, running from Manhattan (Chambers Street) to Peekskill along the eastern shore of the Hudson River. By December 31st of that year, the system was extended to Poughkeepsie and then finally to Albany. At the Spuyten Duyvil a wooden trestle was constructed to connect Manhattan with the Bronx.

So we have 1848 and 1849... and on top of that I've also seen 1851. Of course I'm more inclined to believe James Renner's account, as his detail is much more extensive. But does anyone have any authoritative references or primary sources on this? Please email me at steve@undercity.org

Article by Bill Wheeler & Josh Yaffa: "Urban Cowboys" on Good.is

"Urban Cowboys"
by William Wheeler & Joshua Yaffa
GOOD Magazine online, 4/16/09
http://www.good.is/?p=14862

Into the Night: Night Photography Symposium at B&H

I was recently invited to speak at a day-long symposium on night photography at B&H Photo in New York, organized by Jill Waterman (author of the recent book Night and Low Light Photography). Also on the panel were some very accomplished photographers, whose work I've admired in the past, including Tom Paiva, Mark Jeremko, Lance Keimig, Helen Garber, and Daryl-Ann Saunders. I felt very privileged to be included.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/eventDetails.jsp/id/342 
Monday, March 9, 2009  |  10:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Photo courtesy of Tom Dowling/TomBrooklyn

NY Post: Notes from the Underground

"Notes from the Underground," New York Post, 3/6/09
Story by Don Kaplan, photos by Steve Duncan
Had a great time working on this story with Don Kaplan, who writes a fascinating set of feature stories for the New York Post.

Article:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03062009/entertainment/notes_from_the_underground_158320.htm 

Photo Gallery:
http://www.nypost.com/photos/galleries/entertainment/pp_20090306_mole/photo01.htm