Thinkers in Residence spend time on 14th Street over the festival weekend reflecting on 14th Street, patterns of movement, artists, pedestrians, publics, personal reflections, and participation. Their responses take the form of writing, walking, image-making, poetry, or on-the-spot conversations with the public.

And now the observations of Paul Takeuchi.

What a fun festival! AIOP 2019: INVISIBLE  was the first in its 15-year history dedicated to the unique voices of older artists, and last week’s 4-day extravaganza was an incredible display, despite the nasty weather, of the beauty and passion of these experienced artists. From the windy beginning Thursday, through the pizza party opening Friday night, to the rainy conclusion of fiery poets reading on the POEMobile on Sunday afternoon, more than 80 artists and collaborators shared their work with a curious and enthusiastic public. LuLu and Ed’s amazing production should be a template for future festivals dedicated to these artists who have so much to teach us through their inspiring gifts and legacy of social and community engagement.

While I documented a couple afternoons of the festival’s performers. I managed to photograph a bit around the edges in my particular style, which, like the festival, aims to aestheticize the invisibility of the visible. Without my preferred directionality of sun and shadow, I was able to capture a few of my triangular tensions of line, color, and depth shown here.