Experience the world of New York's favorite photographer
Mark Bozek and Bill Cunningham first crossed paths in 1993, when Cunningham needed sound bites for a video, what was meant to be a 10-minute video turned into 5 hours of footage of Bill, talking about his life and experiences. After running out of questions Bozek decided to just let the iconic photographer talk, he opened up at some points getting emotional. At the time AIDS was tearing through the world especially the fashion and art worlds Cunningham was an important part of.
Despite Bozek only meeting him once, that footage opened up a whole new world to everyone Cunningham touched. After Cunningham’s passing, Bozek started sharing the footage with people closest to Bill. Bringing to light parts of the NYC legend that even those closest to him had never seen. Using this footage Bozek created the stunning and powerful “The Times of Bill Cunningham” Experience. I’m not sure exactly what I would categorize this experience as, but it was unlike anything I had participated in.
Throughout the two-story exhibit, the viewer was introduced to Cunningham through video and text posted to the walls. However, there were multiple opportunities to step into Cunninghams’ world. From recreations of his studio in Carnegie hall to opportunities to photograph oneself from the perspective of one of the photographer’s subjects on the steps of the Met.
The exhibition concluded with a virtual photo wall of attendees and Cunnigham’s work, with Bill’s iconic bike resting in the corner of the room. This exhibit is extremely moving and allows the viewer to take a peek into the world of someone who helped make the New York Style scene what it is today.
Bozek has done a great job curating an experience that honors Bill's iconic memory while catering to current trends of instagrammable exhibits and immersive experiences.
