155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Manhattan 1990

Madoka Takagi captured this image of 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Manhattan using gelatin silver print. Looking at it now, I can almost hear the city rumble, even in its stillness. I imagine Takagi, camera in hand, searching for the right angle, the perfect light. What drew her to this spot? Was it the contrast between the heavy, industrial steel of the overpass and the ornate detailing along the staircase? Or maybe it was the echo of "Public Enemy" posters, hinting at the raw energy of the streets below. I’m interested in that contrast - the weight of the structure with those delicate flourishes of the staircase. There's a dialogue here, between the planned and the unplanned, the enduring and the ephemeral. Takagi, like other street photographers, reminds us that the city is always in flux, a living canvas where stories unfold with every click of the shutter. It is a testament to how photography can freeze a moment, inviting us to look closer and listen to the stories it holds.