Since April 2009, Hoboken photographer Peter Ziebel has posted a new photograph each day on his website, “KingNopa: A Daily Log of Light and Geometry” at www.kingnopa.net. All of the nearly 1,000 images published on the site were taken in Hoboken and, lately, other nearby neighborhoods. While “KingNopa” was not originally intended as a documentary series, many of the images on the site show scenes which have vanished or, conversely, which didn’t exist until fairly recently.
“My work is a continuing attempt to depict my experience of the ever-changing face of this area’s urban landscape,” Ziebel says. “I am particularly interested in the visual juxtapositions of old and new, classic and kitsch, growth and decay, public and private, the mundane and the majestic, etc., that define the visual character of much of this region.”
Beyond local interest, the images mostly document the many little daily visual epiphanies of light, color, texture, and form that often go unnoticed as we go about our day to day business.
Ziebel will discuss his quest to capture the constantly changing urban landscape when the Hudson School’s Think Thursdays series returns on Jan. 19 at 601 Park Avenue. Now in its second year, Think Thursdays is held once or twice a month from 7 – 8 p.m. through spring 2012. Admission is $7 for school family members and $10 for the general public. All are welcome to attend.
Peter Ziebel was born in New York City and grew up in Englewood. He studied at Northwestern University and the School of Visual Arts in New York City and holds a master’s degree in media studies from The New School. A freelance photographer for several years, he is the author of “Look Closer,” a photographic children’s book (Clarion Books, 1989).
He has also taught art and photography at The Hudson School since 2002. He previously taught at the Richard Stockton State College of New Jersey, Baruch College, and The Hoboken Historical Museum.
The Hudson School’s Think Thursdays Series educates and informs the over-18 crowd in this lecture and film series aimed at adults. The series features guest speakers, local authors, and films covering a broad range of topics. Past participants include the oral historians Scott Reitmeyer and Zoe West, authors Lisa Martineau, Marc Aronson, Marina Budhos, Deborah Clearman, Roya Movafegh, and chiropractor and wellness expert Dr. Laura Brayton.
“Parents often tell me they wish they could go back to school to study with our wonderful teachers at The Hudson School.” said Suellen Newman, THS founder and director. “Our speakers’ series, Think Thursdays, is intended to fulfill that desire and to provide an educational setting where adults can sit in on a provocative lecture or attend a film screening. Why should children have all the fun? Dinner table conversations will be that much more interesting if parents bring home interesting tidbits to share on a variety of topics. I’m especially delighted to have one of our own faculty members share his expertise and passions. I hope people will drop in from 7 – 8 p.m. to learn something new and stimulating.”
For more information about Think Thursdays or the Hudson School, call (201)659-8335 or visit
http://thehudsonschool.org/