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David Hury’s poetry is mirrored in his photography. His life philosophy of capturing fleeting, transient moments reflects a philosophy of life in motion. Such “fugitive” instances tell stories of lives. While in New York, the photographer captures moments of life experienced by transient “ghosts.” His camera lens aligns with his gaze as he observes and perceives. His inquisitive nature to continually learn is evident behind his well-composed, targeted, and vibrant photos, as is his desire to blend with the crowd in order to be, here or there, a human among humans … and to scrutinize the world.
The camera lens of David Hury scrutinizes New York. Through four notable photographic series – Walk in the City, Ghosts of Times Square, Looking for NYC, and Sky is not the limit – the artist captures moments of life in his snapshots, and transmits his own poetic philosophy of life.
“And then I understood: the only way to capture its souls, its buildings, and its pace were to start from the ground. From the soil.”
To what extent do you think one can be rooted in a bustling city like New York?
Can one genuinely be rooted in this city? I have never lived in New York, I was merely visiting. Upon returning to Paris, it felt like coming back to a peaceful village, while people from the province often find the French capital too hectic. Everything is relative. And then, I observe the few New Yorkers that I know. They do not reside in the heart of Manhattan, but rather in Brooklyn, where the urban frenzy is significantly less intense. They are well rooted there, just as I was for many years in Beirut, or now in Paris. Being rooted does not depend on the surrounding movement; it merely causes us to sway like reeds in the wind.
Are we, the beings in motion, rooted for the fraction of a second or a photographic snapshot? What are you trying to capture?
In this series, I wanted to capture both the individuals in their wild race and the facades of this vertical city. Capturing the movement in a tenth of a second creates two perspectives: a sharp point where feet and legs are rooted to the ground, and a slightly blurry zone at the level of the rest of the body, which is in motion. In the background, there are monolithic buildings. During this 10th of a second, individuals are both immobile and in motion. This 10th of a second will never come back in their lives, it is now frozen in time, they were there at that moment, on their way elsewhere. It is this fleeting moment that I wanted to capture: the human being seized in his world, inner and outer, without him noticing.
“On the first day, I messed everything up. Then I tried various things.”
What constitutes an “unfailed” photo for you? How to “succeed” in taking an artistic shot? What color tones do you capture?
This first day in New York, I was forewarned: my photographer friends had told me that I would not get anything interesting out! I was convinced I could prove them wrong, but they were right! Afterwards, the idea for me was not to take a nice photo for Instagram, but to think in terms of “series”. Either on a particular theme or according to a design. The first evening spent in Times Square, I took photos like everyone else. I was overwhelmed by both the verticality of the buildings and the utterly crazy crowd. The second evening, I knew how I could manage this feeling of oppression: a short long exposure, about a second, intended to blur the crowd while keeping the background sharp. In this ever-changing light show, depending on the advertising screens, everything is random. One never knows what will really come out of each shot, a bit like the ceramist discovering the color of his enamels fired in 1300ºC when they come out of the oven. It’s not revolutionary, but it works very well in this place. For that, Times Square is a dream.
What do you remember of these “ghosts” you photographed?
In New York, all visitors pass through Times Square at one time or another: they leave their imprint there, like ghosts. When I discovered the result, back in Paris, I made my selection among numerous images. These faces forming color streaks, these bodies disappearing according to the speed of the movement, these silhouettes overlapping for a second… I simply tell myself that I too was part of these ghosts of one evening.
“… A city that one believes to know because of the films one has been raised with since the ’70s… The only thing missing in these photographs. The sound…”
What are the ’70s movies that, for you, represent NYC? Did you find this atmosphere that you were looking for in your photos?
It is challenging to find this New York of the ’70s-80s that cradled my childhood because the city has changed a lot, it has become somewhat sanitized. It is less dirty and brutal than what one can see in film monuments like Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese), Year of the Dragon (Michael Cimino), Manhattan (Woody Allen), Serpico (Sydney Lumet), or even more recent films like Carlito’s Way (Brian de Palma), King of New York (Abel Ferrara), Donnie Brasco (Mike Newell), 25th Hour (Spike Lee) or even Cloverfield (Matt Reeves). There are so many… What struck me most were the cars. Exit the old taxis, there are only nondescript Toyota cars. In terms of photography, it’s heartbreaking! But generally speaking, walking for hours in the streets of New York is like walking into a giant movie set. One always expects to see Al Pacino turn up around the corner.
If you could select a single sound to represent the city in your photos, which one would you choose?
Undoubtedly the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances! There, you just have to close your eyes and the magic operates, this sound seems timeless. It pierces the eardrum and covers everything else.
“For before the gaze can settle on the blue sky, it hits the concrete and glass.”
How does your camera look at this concrete, this glass beyond the blue? Is it an admiring, unique, critical gaze?
Taking a photo of a building or a facade could appear to be the easiest choice: the subject is static, there is no risk-taking. But playing with vertical, horizontal, and oblique lines, with perspectives, is primarily a great pleasure. The human eye tends to see everything, perceive everything at once, regardless of the light or depth of field. The lens of a camera does not operate in the same way: as advanced as it may be, it cannot match the fantastic mechanics of our two eyes. You have to make choices then, capture a frame, distort it in the viewfinder of the camera, guide your gaze according to the desired result. It works, it doesn’t work, you never really know at the time. It is not about being critical or subjective; it is about creating a balance.
What is the limit for you, in your photos?
The obvious limit is my novice gaze: I did not know New York. I would like to go back, choose a corner of a street and stay there all day, just to see. It’s not like Paris or Beirut, which I know like the back of my hand. New York was a discovery, and it’s obvious that I will do something different next time, without knowing what yet.
Link to the website of David Hury : https://www.davidhury.com/blog
Marie-Christine Tayah
Instagram: @mariechristine.tayah
