Family and Karen--New York City no number 1954

Robert Frank shot "Family and Karen" somewhere in New York City, capturing images of the same subject on film. I imagine Frank walking the streets with his camera, capturing these frames, trying to get something that speaks to him, of this girl, Karen. The sequence of images reminds me of the way film reels capture every moment. It's a bit like the way painters try to capture an image, working and reworking, building layers, each mark another attempt to get to the heart of the thing. You can see Frank trying to capture a feeling. These contact sheets give us a glimpse into Frank’s creative process, the physical act of looking and choosing. It's all about the materiality of the film itself—the grain, the contrast, the way the light hits. What do you think he was thinking, what kind of conversation was he hoping to have with the world? The way we see each other in this city...