Robert FotiW 53rd St between 6th Ave and 7th AveHeart Three · Location 229 · Drawn March 2003Hover over or select the image to reveal a hidden view.PhotographsDownload photograph 1Download photograph 2Download photograph 3Download photograph 4Download photograph 5Download photograph 6Download photograph 7Video podcast0:00This drawing was done on a surface that's attracted a lot of marks over the years.0:04The location for it is east of 7th Avenue on West 53rd Street.0:11It's on the south side of the street.0:12It's a stand-alone metal structure that looks like a newsstand or something.0:19To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what it is.0:23It has four padlocks on it, a series of hinges, and obviously opens up to reveal something else.0:30For us, the most important thing it revealed was a surface on its east side.0:35It's right next to the street, and the surface is a cacophony of different peeling paints and dirt.0:42In the last couple of years, it's seen some new marks,0:46and in spring 2006, the most interesting of them are marks made with a paintbrush.0:52You don't have to look closely to see that the marks represent a cartoon caricature of a bird1:00to the left of it that may actually just say, Birdie.1:04This is Robert [unclear].1:05He was drawn in March of 2003.1:09His drawing is counting three people.1:13Drawing by myself in the public has been a tense and difficult public performance.1:17It's hard.1:18At this location, I had a sense of protection from the city, barricaded by a little newsstand1:23and covered by dark scaffolding.1:25In reality, I was standing and crouching,1:27mere feet from the traffic continually flowing by.1:30Below me, people streamed up out of the subway,1:33focused so intently on where they were going1:36that they ghosted by my drawing of Robert Fody1:39without noticing it.1:41But to be honest, I ignored them too1:43and stayed lost in my drawing.1:45That was just the type of guy he was.1:47He was always helping people.1:50Fody's mother-in-law, Irene Taster of Melville,1:52said after seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade last year with his family,1:56Foti drove to her home, mashed the potatoes,1:59carved the turkey, and cleaned up after dinner.2:02He was always there, Taster said.2:04Foti liked to fish and go deep-sea diving, his wife said.← Location 228Heart Three · Location 229Location 230 →
