I’ve spent the past month in a place that many of us think of often as its influence over our nation grows but that few outsiders, myself certainly included, can properly understand: mainland China. The recent news cycle highlights our fiscal ties with China, and Chinese investment in American culture is steadily increasing- the Chinese state-sponsored media company, Xinhua, just loudly announced its Westward expansion with a giant sign in Times Square. However, while…
The Fengshui of Greenpoint
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This is a stupid and masturbatory post. Using the word “natural” to describe Newtown Creek – a superfund site – is idiotic. Please let me know more about wing eating competitions and less about this.
I used the word natural to infer that it is a physical break in the landscape, as opposed to the border between Greenpoint and Williamsburg, which is a cultural construct – clearly, the creek has been heavily modified by industry, and describing it – or anything else around here – as totally natural wouldn’t be accurate.
point conceded. however, this is still the epitome of yuppiedom. Applying the principles of feng shui to greenpoint – a historically industrial and immigrant neighborhood (which by the way, was originally part of Williamsburg and called “Bushwick”) – is no less pretentious than some douchebag moving his Ikea furniture around his loft after reading Larry Sang.
Oh, I totally agree, and I was careful to include the note that this neighborhood was not built with any of this in mind. However, it’s relevant to consider the cultural juxtaposition since our water and our green spaces serve to punctuate our points of entry and egress and serve a similar function to the fengshuilin described. I don’t understand concepts like chi or energy flows and don’t think they’re relevant here, but I think urban design as it relates to the movement of people and money certainly is.