Thursday, August 21, 2008

Capturing intertwined lives in the East Village


[Photo Lorcan Otway/The Villager]

The Villager profiles East Village photographer Lorcan Otway this week.

Otway’s photos capture everything from the fast-action danger of a young man trying to resuscitate a friend who had overdosed on heroin (above, which ran in The Villager last June 13-19) to a close-up of a young “crusty” woman, looking tenderly at her pet rat. Most important, each photo has overlapping characters interacting in a shared setting. Their stories are intertwined: A young Ninth Precinct policewoman captured on her training day, Officer Spinelli, shares an ecosystem in the park with Carl, the elderly man dubbed “Santa Claus,” who she will probably scoop up many times for drinking. Smiling Officer Bearne’s face glows with humanity, as does that of Jim “Mosaic Man” Power, as each goes about his life in the East Village Commons — separate, yet connected.

Action item:
Otway's photo exhibit, “East Village Commons: A Loving Portrayal of a Neighborhood,” will be on display at Theater 80 on St. Mark’s Place beginning Monday. It runs for a week.

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