“We contain the other, hopelessly and forever.”—James Baldwin
This is the quote that kicks off the floating film installation “Night Watch” by Shimon Attie, which shows portraits of NYC residents who were former asylum seekers. It is displayed on a large LED screen on a barge that has been dragged through NYC’s waterways by a tugboat for the past few days.
It is so powerful and poetic to see these portraits float by on the East River, one of the bodies of water that has been an important part of welcoming new immigrants from all corners of the world.