Out takes from a series I did whilst living in New York this Summer. You can see it on my website here: www.fionaosborne.com/mynewyorkaffair.
The work is centered around my relationship with the city. The excitement and unfamiliarity of living and working somewhere I had never encountered before.
These self portraits were taken in the apartment I lived in in Chinatown. They attempt to portray my emotion felt at that particular time. They sit alongside photographs that document my trip and subtly express my connection with the city.

"A great assistant is hard to find"

A lovely piece Robin Zachary wrote about me, who I assisted this Summer in New York. You can read the full article on her blog Prop Closet.

brooklyn flea market

There's nothing more exciting than rummaging through vintage treasures, apart from rummaging through vintage treasures in New York City. In the heart of Williamsburg lies Brooklyn Flea. Taking it's place every weekend of the year, Brooklyn Flea holds home to hundreds of vendors of fantastic antiques and collectables, furniture and vintage clothing, as well as arts, crafts and jewellery by local designers.

Having been lucky enough to work in NYC for five weeks over Summer, Brooklyn Flea became my little love affair and I've got my treasures, like any good relationship, to remember it by. Not only are the stalls and locations unbeatable (views of the Manhattan skyline!), the food is just as unique and completely indulgent.

Take a look below at some of the photographs I took, including street style
snaps of some of the best dressed people there.Now, I suggest you all book your flights asap and I'll see you there.

Ceci New York: Paper Art Party

As some of you know, this Summer I've been lucky enough to live and intern in New York for an amazing 5 weeks. One of the great people I've been working with is Robin Zachary, a prop stylist and creative director.

I worked on a project with Zachary styling tabletops for luxury designer Ceci Johnson's, Ceci New York Vivre collection, which were on display at the Ceci Paper Art Party. The collection includes placemats and place cards that can be used to style the everyday in the home or for a party. Vivre meaning "to live" encourages us to live life more beautifully.

There were 4 tabletops in total, each as enchanting and intricate as the next, warmly inviting you to take your seat. Zachary opted for a girly, Caribbean-esque, oriental and rustic aesthetic - taking vintage inspiration and mixing it with modern for an achievable look.
Seriously take a look at Ceci's other designs on her website. You're be guaranteed to fall in love with the beautiful and personal designs.

Take a look below at some of the photographs I took.

Robin setting up.

All four tabletops

And a few from the party itself. Including Robin and Ceci.

Laurel Nakadate: Only the Lonely

Laurel Nakadate's "Only the Lonely" exhibition at MOMA PS1, New York (January 23 - August 15, 2011), really isn't one to bypass. A bold and striking collection of work that explores the relationship between voyeurism and loneliness. The exhibition takes title after Roy Orbison's 1960 song that Nakadate describes as "totally heartbreaking. It really sums up the last ten years of my work about loneliness and isolation".

Her last photographic series, "365 Days: A Catalogue of Tears" (2011) showed self portraits of Nakadate everyday for a year, crying, in different locations. An extraordinary visual diary she wanted to "deliberately take part in sadness each day", archiving one's private life for the purpose of public exposure.

Nakadate pokes a sharp stick at the male gaze. Rather than deciding to brush off the attention of unknown men, Nakadate would embrace it - engaging with some of the least appealing specimens: balding, overweight, badly dressed and in their 40s, 50s and 60s. In reply to their advances she would agree to go home with them, only if they would collaborate with her in making an art video.

The short video's she made in "Only the Lonely'" raise an array of questions and emotions. The men she uses appear harmless and a little lost. If anything, she appears to be exploiting these men, teasing them and ridiculing them. But then, we don't know what happens after the video's have ended. Is she in fact putting herself in danger?

Watching the video's you begin to become slightly tranced by them. Or maybe Nakadate is trancing the men. She has an uncanny ability to intimately connect with them and gets them to do what she wants. You can't help but feel uncomfortable, but the more videos you watch the more you understand instead of the strange men gaining power over her, Nakadate is the one in control.

There is an odd atmosphere of tenderness to the scenes. The men seem to enjoy taking part; she seems to like them. If anything, I can only imagine the men finish feeling more lonely than ever and herself slightly smug.

"Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind", another photographic series by Nakadate in the exhibit features shots of her underwear in the wind just before she releases them out of a speeding train. You begin to wonder what the innocent person who stumbles upon these garments might imagine - whether or not these images would be different in a man's head than in a woman's.

The collection will leave you feeling seduced, exhausted and ultimately connected with your own feelings of isolation - yet maybe upon leaving you won't feel quite so alone. An exhibit that you attend with an open mind and one that stays with you for weeks after.