<sup>“STREET DICKS”
NATHANIEL C. SHANNON

This massive series was began in the spring of 2014 while walking from my former office in midtown Manhattan to the lower east side to meet some friends at a bar.  I was incensed at pedestrians psychically walking into me, more engaged with their cell phones than paying attention to where they are walking. The incident that begat “Street Dicks” occurred when a young man on his phone walked directly into me, then physically tried to throw a punch at me. I dogged it as he screamed about how it was my fault that we collided. I had recently been making a lot of street photography and happened to have my camera in hand and snapped a few photographs of him moments before he walked in to me.  I informed him that I have photographs of him ignoring his pedestrian responsibilities, and he might want to reconsider his position since he just tried to assault me. He took off running once he realized the situation.  I spent the rest of that walk documenting similar incidents. “Street Dicks” was thus born. It’s basic conception serving as art therapy for me to deal with my own frustrations of humanity and technology coexisting, especially living in New York City. The “Street Dicks” narrative is documenting how lost people are engaging with a piece of technology that is here to connect the world, but has begun to drive us further apart. These photographs reflect the disregard of consciousness of people’s physical surroundings, which affects everyone around them. Walking from midtown Manhattan to where I live in Brooklyn is great exercise, physically, artistically, and mentally.</sup>