fabric

I understand the effort, I really do.  The walk along 8th Avenue in the early 40s has been an eyesore for ages with even the should-be regal New York Times building lit up and tricked out like the other Times Square monstrosities.  So when Governor Spitzer along with the Fashion Center Business Improvement District (BID) decided to post up some art along the windows of the Port Authority Bus Terminal, in theory I applauded them.  Their aim was to make the pedestrian’s walk down 8th Avenue a little more tasteful and to showcase local wares that are available in the nearby Fashion District by putting up panels of textiles over the windows that formerly were covered by blank paper blocking the construction site inside. 

The Fabric Display Art Installation at Port Authority was created by teaching artist Joy Suarez and went up November 30, consisting of 30 panels using fabric, trim and notions available in the Fashion District.  “The Fashion Center BID wanted to transform the windows of the Port Authority, while creating something beautiful and inspirational for pedestrians,’ said Barbara Randall, executive director of the Fashion Center BID.   “This installation also reflects the fashion industry tenants that define the neighborhood as the fashion capital of the world.”

The unveiling coincides with the Fashion Center BID’s release of The Fashion District Source Book, a guide to the best shops to get the best trimmings, beads, and fabrics in the area.  This book is available in its entirety online, and is extremely useful for shoppers in the Fashion District.

The trouble is not the book, but the exhibit itself.  After I checked out the effect myself last night, I realized that their approach is of the band-aid-for-a-cancer-patient variety.  The cancer being the teeming mass of seizure-inducing lights and spectacle that is Times Square.  While it’s undoubtedly an improvement over the blank paper that used to cover the windows, you barely notice the subtle and muted colors of the panels because your eye is instantly drawn to the neon blinking Chevy’s sign a block away.  And right across the street is a somber-looking construction site, so the art does little to cheer up the aspect.  The area is one of the most glaringly commercial strips in New York, and the Fashion Center BID’s attempt to imbue the area with culture and be commercial in an understated way simply does not fit with the environs.  The cacophony of Times Square will always drown out the delicate artistry of the fabric installation.