Comme des Garcons

What is SoHo Memory Project and why did you create it?

Last summer, Or Szyflingier, a very talented and ambitious CUNY student, asked me these questions, and she and her fellow students filmed me as I answered them. The result is The SoHo Memory Project, a documentary short film (14 minutes) that artfully and concisely captures the who, what, when, where, why, and how of SMP from its inception to its future, all the while telling the story of SoHo’s transformation from a declining manufacturing zone to an artist community to a retail hub. Or and her team did a wonderful job capturing the work that I do.  Watch the film here>>

My memories of SoHo in the 70's are not shot in digital video, or even 35 mm, but rather in shaky super-8.  But as my reminiscences of childhood advance into adolescence, at some point, my memories of SoHo loose their drab, almost monochrome quality and take on the vibrant colors of the land of Oz.