A new collection of photographs called "Stolen Moments" captures New Yorkers in some of their most private moments. Oh and by the way, they have no idea they are being photographed.
"The idea is to capture the life of New York but from the inside, the real genuine things that are going on," said Asher Edelman, owner of Edelman Arts, an Upper East side gallery.
The artist, Yasmine Chatila, spends hours, days and even weeks observing people through their apartment windows and takes photographs of them without telling them. She then edits the pictures to blur or paint over faces and changes the facades of buildings and windows to protect the anonymity of her subjects.
Sometimes she does not have to wait long for a good photograph. In one work, "The Bathroom Girl," Chatila observed the same woman who took a shower every day with the shades open and stood in front of the window naked.
Edelman says the artist avoids lawsuits by obscuring the identities of the people she photographs. He also says that none of her subjects has ever called to complain about being recognized.
Some New Yorkers argue this is voyeurism to the extreme.
"I don't think it's right," said Fanny Sprung of the Upper West Side. "I don't think she should be taking pictures and then turning it into this, This is not art."
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While others say the subjects themselves might be guilty of a little exhibitionism.
"I think it’s very inappropriate," said Nichelle Robinson of Staten Island. "If you’re taking off clothes you should put the blinds down so no one else has to see that."
New Yorkers should consider themselves warned though. Chatila's next project will involve audio. She will place extremely sensitive microphones outside windows throughout the city and capture a different slice of life in the Big Apple.
