Daniel OCallaghanE 100th St between Lexington Ave and 3rd AveHeart Four · Location 469 · Drawn July 2004Download photograph 1Download photograph 2Download photograph 3Download photograph 4Download photograph 5Download photograph 6Download photograph 7Download photograph 8Download photograph 9Download photograph 10Download photograph 11Download photograph 12Download photograph 13Download photograph 14Download photograph 15Show all 15 photographsVideo podcast0:00Near the middle of East 100th Street, between Lexington and 3rd, on the south side of the0:07street is a new building.0:09The address of this building is 158.0:12This drawing was made in front of a different building a couple years ago.0:16A construction wall had already been put up in the middle of the sidewalk, and the figure0:21that we drew was on the plywood, and if it were standing in free space, we'd be standing0:27in the center of the sidewalk, caddy corner, to the unlabeled entrance to this new brick building.0:35This is Lieutenant Daniel OCallaghan.0:38He was drawn in July of 2004.0:42His drawing is counting one person.0:44We just sort of, it's another instance of just keeping our collective fingers crossed0:51that we have not incidentally offended someone deeply.0:58Because we realize that the offense starts with the very act of drawing in the first place.1:05And that is one of the most difficult things for us to even begin to associate our work with.1:12The association being, what if our work really, really pisses someone off,1:18makes someone sadder, stirs the pot, conflicts with their own resolutions.1:25What if our drawing becomes a negative moment in that entire landscape of emotion?1:36This is the worst possible outcome for any one single drawing.1:42Brian Ahern is a fireman.1:45It's about the fourth or fifth fireman that we drew.1:48close to no biographical information for him on the web.1:52You have to really, really look for it.1:56Even the New York Times portraits of grief, nothing on him.2:01So in all the research that Jay and I and everyone did here on Brian Ahern, we say,2:06wait a second, there appears to have been a conscious effort to not have information2:14about him floating around.2:18Narratively, we've constructed that it's quite possible with him and some other individuals2:23that the families made concerted responses to all that digital information by saying,2:31no, stop. Wrote their letters, wrote their emails and said, take him down. Take this information.2:37No, we don't want to share the details of his life or how we feel about it with everybody2:42out of respect for that person.2:44We think that's the case.2:47We don't know.2:50So one of the definable worst-case scenarios for us2:54is this idea that a family will contact us and say,2:57you know, respectfully, we enjoy what you did.3:01I'm sure it was great for you, but take him down.3:04You can't show an image of him.3:06You can't shame, and you have violated that3:09with your nonchalant efforts.3:13We drew on the wood wall right here3:15in the center of the sidewalk.3:17So spatially speaking,3:19as I stand in the middle of the sidewalk3:21looking down the street3:22in this very little or nothing,3:24waving my arms in mid-space,3:26the drawing was made right here.3:28Protecting the public3:29from the creation of this fine building,3:32number 158.3:34East 100 and...3:36East 100th.3:37100th.3:39I think it's 100th Street.3:40In front of the Jehovah's Witness building.3:45It would be 102 degrees out and he would be wearing his bunker gear, said Al Schwartz,3:50a firefighter who drove the truck with the lieutenant sitting up front beside him.3:55He was always ready to charge in.3:57But he'd also tape paintings by his six-year-old daughter to his office walls at the firehouse.4:02and when he left his house he would back his pickup truck up to the street just to wave goodbye one more time.← Location 468Heart Four · Location 469Location 470 →
