New Yorkers tend to express themselves in unique ways. Whether it be through street art, theater, fashion or any other medium, New Yorkers are well known for making their tastes, passions and views seen and heard. It is no wonder then that so many of the world's artists, designers, photographers and other expressive professionals seek to showcase their work in New York.
One Australian artist is currently showing a piece at the Rebecca Hossack Gallery until November 2, which profoundly depicts the human cost of motor vehicle accidents. As described by the New York Times, "Using 17 men and women as her medium, (she) has simulated the effect of a low-speed car crash through a tangle of contorted bodies."
The mangled vehicle that Emma Hack has created is a devastating combination of blue and black, human and machine structure. Some bodies are easy to spot, while others rest in pieces, crushed around the point of impact.
"Body Crash" was commissioned by the Motor Accident Commission of South Australia as part of an anti-speeding campaign. The photo that Hack has delivered is the result of an 18 hour photo shoot involving athletes, acrobats and bodybuilders covered in up to five layers of paint and stacked in contorted positions beneath and around each other.
Though Hack may be best known for her background and body paint work on Goyte's "Somebody That I Used to Know" video, the original and arresting "Body Crash" may ultimately have a more profound impact upon its audience.
Source: New York Times, "In a Crash-Safety Campaign, a Collision of Humanity," Tamara Warren, Oct. 25, 2012