This conceptual artwork captures a meta-moment in digital cartography and urban experience. The piece presents a Google Street View image of Times Square in New York City from December 2014, creating a layered representation of how we perceive and navigate urban spaces in the digital age.
The composition is split between the iconic New York City skyline, dominated by the Empire State Building, and the street-level view of Times Square. In a clever twist, the foreground features a large Google Maps advertisement, creating a self-referential loop - we're viewing a Google Maps image that contains an advertisement for Google Maps itself.
The artwork juxtaposes the grandiosity of the NYC skyline with the bustling street level, where pedestrians navigate around planters and informational signs. The Google Maps interface elements frame the scene, reminding viewers of the digital mediation of this urban experience.
This piece in the series uniquely highlights the ubiquity of digital mapping in our daily lives, while also commenting on the commercialization of public spaces and the ways in which technology companies insert themselves into our perception of the world around us. It's a snapshot that encapsulates the intersection of physical and digital realms in modern city life.
so meta baby.
