Mirroring the metropolis

The world we’ve created for ourselves consists of cities in a state of constant flux. Buildings, streets - in fact, whole communities are monitored by 24 hour CCTV. Yet we still choose to live together, as a group, in places with towering buildings…and lots of other people around us.

Our ongoing love of the city is demonstrated in the recent resurgence of Art Deco-style, skyscraper inspired design. Read more about this, and the impact of the all-seeing eye of Big Brother upon the world of art and design, in ShopCurious's latest Curious Trends posts.







Meantime, here’s some information on a forthcoming photographic exhibition that also draws inspiration from the metropolis: Diemar/Noble Photography’s Land/City/Real/Imagined is a curated selection of work by leading photographers, with the city as its theme. Running from 25th August until 1st October, the show is divided into two sections ‘land’ and ‘city’, it even includes NASA photographs of the surface of the moon.

One of the more classic shots on display is Berenice Abbott’s 1936 portrait of the 'Irving Trust Building, 1 Wall Street' (left).






Also included is an awe-inspiring image by British photographer, George Rodger. Taken on the 102nd floor of New York’s Empire State Building in 1950, this coolly conveys the excitement of looking out over the great metropolis.

Colombian born, London based photographer, Manuel Vazques captures the surreality of our surveillance society in works from his ‘Traces’ project (see top right), carried out at Atocha railway station in Madrid, scene of the 2004 terrorist attacks.


Vazques' images bring to our awareness the curious paradox of public space, where anonymity and scrutiny co-exist. In a society full of prying eyes, we have the ability to be both spectator and actor…

Are you?

I love (secret) New York

Happy Valentine’s Day! If you’re in The Big Apple for New York Fashion Week, you may be wondering how to find somewhere appropriately romantic to meet for drinks or dinner. I can suggest no better place for a lovers’ tryst than one of the city’s numerous speakeasies.

Speakeasies are named after the ‘underground’ bars that gained popularity during the Prohibition of the 1920s and early ‘30s. You usually have to book in advance so, first of all, you’ll need to find the contact details of one of these curiously clandestine venues, which can be a little tricky as they’re not that well publicized. And you’ll also need to know the password to get through the front door.







It’s rumoured that the trend for speakeasies was started by Sasha Petraske, owner of the infamous Milk & Honey (check out the curiously quirky house rules!) Others include The Back Room (aka The Lower Eastside Toy Company), reached via a rather ominous looking underground alley.






There’s a distinctly Victorian feel to the décor here – and the alcohol is served in teacups.

Many of the bars have a retro vibe and and the music is often of the old-fashioned jazz variety, in keeping with the original roots of the speakeasy. You’ll find the coolest mixologists (Ameri-speak for bartenders) – and some great food too.



I suggest you surreptitiously ask around, as there’s bound to be one of these covert establishments hidden away somewhere nearby. The telephone numbers are changed often, so further undercover investigations may be required in your search.

By the way, if you’ve got a suitably secret gift for your loved one, how about this mother of pearl inlaid vintage silver trinket box from ShopCurious to hide it in?

And shhhhhh... I have the address and current ‘phone number for Milk & Honey if you want it.

Do you?