Starting off the new decade with “Tech Time Capsule”, Jeanette May’s new Lightbox photography exhibition at 42nd Street-Bryant Park / 6th Avenue (B/D/F/M). May’s still life photographs show us both the appeal of the new and the angst surrounding household technology and obsolescence. The images were created with common household items - from film cameras to flip phones - but arranged in a style referencing the wealth portrayed in 17th Century Dutch paintings, with a nod to contemporary still lifes in the form of advertising display photographs. Each still life includes five key technology categories: optics, audio, time, communication and light, in a range of time periods. “The more we yearn to keep current—the newest phone, computer, camera, audio system, espresso maker—the more we produce, consume, and discard”, said May. The objects will be familiar to several generations of commuters passing through the Bryant Park subway station, as they evoke memories and wonder at how quickly technology is developing.
