«Hello, I am an immigrant»: in times square appeared installation dedicated to immigrants

«Hello, I am an immigrant»: in times square appeared installation dedicated to immigrants

United States of America rightly considered as a country of immigrants. Repeatedly praised by Hollywood and described in the books, the legendary «American dream» continues to encourage hundreds of thousands of people from different corners of the world to move to the US in search of a better life, for freedom and big opportunities.

Of course, a special attraction for immigrants has the biggest metropolis of USA, capital of the world and the Big Apple – new York. And the reasons are many: it is the most important economic, financial and cultural world center, and, most important, the most cosmopolitan city in the country.

To emphasize the important role of immigration in the formation and development of new York decided an American artist Aman, Mojadidi. Even as a kid in the 60 years of the twentieth century emigrated with his family from Afghanistan to the United States.

Having received support from Times Square Alliance, which coordinates large-scale events (including a meeting of the New year) on the most popular square of the city, Mojadidi introduced new Yorkers to his art installation called Once Upon a Place.

Once Upon a Place consists of three art objects – telephone poles, located in the Northern part of times square, between 45th street and Seventh Avenue (Duffy Square). But, as you might guess, they cannot be used for other purposes.

Entering a small glass building, closing the door behind him and took the receiver of the telephone, anyone can ignore the noise in the square and be completely immersed in telling an invisible interlocutor history. All the stories (they are, by the way, 70) are reproduced in the record and last from two to 15 minutes.

They are real, as well as those telling them. Haman managed to get settled in America of immigrants from countries like Mexico, Dominican Republic, Russia, China, Yemen, Ghana, Tibet and many others, to share their stories about immigrating to the United States. And not always legal.

In addition, each booth lies a telephone directorywhere you can find more information about communities of immigrants in new York and the countries where they came from. On the empty pages of the book can write his story.

“I wanted people to understand again and again realized that cities like new York, in fact, built mostly by immigrants, who come there, work there, live there, and none of this should be something to be feared, and, in fact, it should be celebrated and encouraged,” said Aman, Mojadidi.

A curious fact: the phone booth already once stood on the new York streets, and was one of the last, which was dismantled as unnecessary.

The installation appeared at times square on Tuesday, June 27, and will stay there until the beginning of autumn, or rather, the 5th of September.

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