1970s and early 1980s New York City was where Fernando played truant, chopper gangs hogged the sidewalks, sex was sold, women raged in raucous nightclubs, gay rights found its voice, Madonna joined her first band, BLADE used trains as his canvas. In 1981, 22-year-old Christopher Morris was an intern at a photo agency. “I was new to New York, at the very start of my career,” he says, “and I became mesmerised by the total urban decay, that was most visual with the subway system.” Over six months Morris set about capturing life below ground.
Commuters ascend and descend stairwells during rush hour, 1981.
A man is seen wearing headphones through a subway car window, 1981.
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