AI Generated | The Women In Red

Prompts: Nostalgic photography, catalog pose full body front view, black haired Afro Asian woman wearing red shirt leaning back in chair over her head, tattoo on neck, sitting against dark plain wall, --ar 16:9

KUNCHOK | In Fuchsia

I photographed Kunchok (कुनचोक) for a couple of hours on the streets of Soho. A New York University student, she posed for my cameras on a lovely day in late Spring, resplendent in a flamboyant fuchsia look, accented with Tibetan jewelry.

Larger photos of the shoot are here.

"Trapped In The Flash" | The Red Strings

On a recent walk about at Washington Square Park, I chanced on performance art type of dance by two talented Chinese women; Jiening (Sophia) Zhu and Jiyun (Annora) Dong, both actors and artists from the NYU Tisch Drama's Experimental Theatre Wing.

Described as "a conversation with red strings, feminism, experimental theater and the body", these graceful and lithe dancers spent about 2 hours showcasing their forthcoming “Trapped in the Flash”, a one-hour off off broadway show that follows the lives of three Chinese American characters from varied historical periods – a photographer, an actress, and a railroad worker. The narrative unfolds through non-linear vignettes that span their experiences in America and their ties to China. 

At first glance, I thought the performance might've been similar to Shibari, the Japanese rope bondage (also known as "kinbaku"), which is a modern form of rope bondage originating in Japan. However, it has nothing to do with it.

The performance "....is about being trapped. It's about trying to escape. It's an exploration about power and space."

There's also "The Red Thread of Fate"; an East Asian belief originating from Chinese mythology. It is commonly thought of as an invisible red cord around the finger of those that are destined to meet one another in a certain situation as they are "their one true love".

THE ECLIPSE CHASERS

What better place to view the anticipated eclipse than in NYC's Washington Square Park? I had -and have- no interest in the eclipse itself, but the more than a thousand oddballs, skeptics, and gawkers who gathered made for captivating human interest photography.

The solar eclipse was expected to block the sun for 180 million people, with the next one predicted in New York area in 2044.

CHERRY | Looking For Red In Chinatown

Cherry Fu is an Asian-American actress born in Queens, New York. She's a Mandarin and English speaker. She was discovered at the age of 14 doing runway shows for NYC's Asia Business Center. A few years later, she started acting and modeling full time.

She holds a business degree, majoring in fashion, merchandising and art. She also enjoys kendo, gun shooting, archery and kickboxing.

The photo shoot's concept was for Cherry to wear a red cheongsam (aka qi pao) and pose at chosen Chinatown locations that have as much red as possible...

Larger photos of the shoot are here and OnThe Street blog.