August 6, 2010

The Art of Urban Exploration

Last night I went to DUMBO for their open gallery night.  This is similar to the practice in Chelsea, where galleries coordinate their openings on a Thursday evening and serve up some free wine as well as new art.  At the Mighty Tanaka Gallery, we found some stunning photos taken from the top of the Brooklyn Bridge, the 59th Street bridge and the Municipal Building.  These were the work of Shane Perez, a photographer who specializes in going where no man is supposed to go.  


He told us that getting to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge was actually the easiest of his many adventures.  It's only a 5-10 minute walk straight up the cables that support the span.  He headed up there late one Monday night around 3:30 AM and wasn't arrested or even spotted.  He also had some great photos of the Hellgate bridge, abandoned subway tunnels under City Hall, and an old electrical power plant in Philly.  This guy gets around!


You can view some of these other pictures on Shane's website.  Also, I found a website where you can learn more about the world of Urban Exploration...where nothing is off limits.