Brian Young: The Train NYC 1984

by Brian Young (photographer)

Photographer and master printer Brian Young first arrived in New York City in 1984. He witnessed all the well-known ills of ‘70s and early ‘80s New York, finding the city slowly, haltingly recovering from an economic depression. Industry and manufacturing jobs had left the city, and the population continued to drain out to the suburbs. The “crack epidemic” was on the front pages and on the streets. Abandoned shells of burnt-out cars littered the roads and muggings were simply a fact of daily life.

Young found his camera increasingly drawn to the subway system--one of the great social levelers of life in New York City and, increasingly, the canvas for an explosive profusion of graffiti. Brian The Train NYC 1984 collects the photographer’s quiet, black-and-white shots of the subway from 1984, bringing a vanished New York evocatively back to life.

112 pages, Hardcover

Published November 22, 2016

Reviews

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A photography book with little words yet a powerful story to tell nonetheless. This book definitely speaks to the rampant gentrification (I'm looking at you West Village Girls), police brutality, and general wealth gap in NYC today. It makes you question the moral and ethical dilemma facing its inhabitants and whether change is truly possible in the future, or if we are strapped into this socioeconomic rollercoaster forever.

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed the expertise in black/white color gradient and dimension to the portraits and subway shots specifically.

Good book for those who want to move in NYC & aspiring photographers.

3/5 stars