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Do you remember where you were when Mayor Bill De Blasio declared a shelter in place order to halt the spread of COVID-19? Like 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, the COVID-19 shutdown in New York City is an event indelibly etched into the memories of New Yorkers. And now, a new book captures New York’s eerily silent streets, parks, and public places during that time.
Native New Yorker Gregory J. Peterson was on his regular evening walk on the Upper West Side of Manhattan when the unthinkable happened. The 24-hour city shut down to protect its citizens from a lethal novel coronavirus raging through it. New York City’s iconic public spaces usually bustling with people were suddenly devoid of human presence. Traveling by foot and bike to avoid contagion, Peterson embarked on a personal journey to document a momentous point in time in the city where he was born and raised.
On February 2, join Gregory J. Peterson, author of New York: Stilled Life, as he remembers his personal journey to document a momentous point in time in NYC. Explore the extraordinary, arresting beauty of the City of New York as it appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020. Hear how the project began with posting the photographs daily on Facebook. See the often surreal images that capture the beauty of New York City’s world-famous monuments and buildings during this historic moment when no one was there. The event is free for Untapped New York Insiders (and get your first month free with code JOINUS).
Peterson took more than 400 photographs of over 200 locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens throughout 2020. Using his iPhone 11, he captured, for instance, the United Nations Secretariat with no traffic, Grand Central Terminal with no one in sight, and gelled neighborhood streets and destinations. During the height of the lockdown, Peterson also captured the city’s response to Black Lives Matter protests, with midtown Manhattan and other areas boarded up following Memorial Day due to fears of civil unrest.
According to David Cohen, editor at Artcritical.com, “Without people, these photos reveal the city’s primeval soul. They unveil a serene beauty most often obscured by the frenzy of our fast-paced lives. We see New York with new eyes. The first reaction to Gregory Peterson’s poised, chilled shots of New York City is: Must be trick photography. He’s Photoshopped the people out―or else a sunny daylight in―in what must have been shots from the dead of night. But no: This is the capital of the world in lockdown. One has to go to de Chirico’s imaginary metaphysical paintings of Italian cities to find such radical depopulation.”
Gregory J. Peterson is a corporate lawyer, passionate amateur photographer, and noted art collector. A native, life-long New Yorker, he is a graduate of the High School of Music and Art (now the LaGuardia High of Music and the Performing Arts), where he studied oil painting and other media, and of Columbia College, and Columbia Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. Peterson sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations promoting the arts, equality, and public wellbeing. He has provided pro bono legal assistance to nonprofit organizations and conceived of and executed many charitable events. Prior to becoming a lawyer, he was a filmmaker and television producer. New York: Stilled Life is his effort to document and share a momentous period in New York history with New Yorkers and the world.
On Feburary 2, join author Gregory J. Peterson as he remembers his personal journey to document a momentous point in time in NYC. The event is free for Untapped New York Insiders (and get your first month free with code JOINUS).
Next, check out Photos of NYC’s Eerily Empty Transit Hubs and Streets!
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