Underwater New York

Water (Upper New York Bay) by Lee Arnold

Twenty polaroid images taken from Governors Island (26″x18″, 2010).

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Artist Statement

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Water (Upper New York Bay) consists of twenty polaroid images taken while I was in residence on Governors Island between August and December, 2010. During my time on the island I became fascinated by the changing currents and tides of the waterways surrounding New York City. I wondered how much the constantly shifting salinity levels of the water at the meeting place of the Atlantic and the Hudson affected the character, and more specifically the color, of the water. Inspired by Goethe’s scientifically incorrect exploration of the nature of light and color, this work is an attempt to capture what the water feels like. I was also interested in what was left out of the frame. There are no images of the major sights a few degrees away: the towering architecture of lower Manhattan; the Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg, Verazano and Goethals bridges; the Statue of Liberty; the shore lines of Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey; and the constant boat traffic carried along by the currents.

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About the Artist

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Lee Arnold was born in London in 1972 and lives in Brooklyn. In his work he explores the nature of time and perception through drawing, photography, film, video, animation and sound. He has exhibited in the U.S. and abroad at such places as the DUMBO Art Center in Brooklyn, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, the Bridge Art Fair in Miami, SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles and the Berlinisch Galerie in Berlin. In 2010 he received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Visit his website at http://leearnold.net.

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Tags: Currents, Lee Arnold, Salt, Upper New York Bay