Metropolitan Museum of Art's 'Street' exhibit

Metropolitan Museum of Art's 'Street' exhibit

A new exhibit called "Street" is opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It not only features 60 works of art but also a 61-minute film created by a local artist named James Nares.

"It's an hour-long film which was filmed from the back of James' cars with a very powerful camera capturing pedestrians and New Yorkers in ways that one has never seen before with the naked eye," said Ian Alteveer, associate curator.

In 2011, Nares spent a week filming in New York City, from Harlem down to Wall Street. He shot more than 16 hours of footage and then edited it down, using slow motion and stills to make the hour-long film.

"The movie really came out of a life-long preoccupation with old films particularly the old actuality films as they were called where they just mounted a camera on trolley cars and drove through the streets," Nares said.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art decided to collaborate with the artist.

"With James we've collected together a group of objects from the museum's permanent collection that complement the film in many ways whether its drawings or prints or photographs about street life in New York City," Alteveer said.

Some of these objects date back to Third Millennium B.C. from ancient cities all the way to modern day Berlin, Paris, and New York.

"One never has the time in a way as one passes by quickly," Alteveer said, "to take a good look at people and what they are doing. This is a wonderful way to see all the various cultures various people that make up this great city."

"I can see things that I couldn't see before," Nares said. "I would hope that other people can see that and maybe have an appreciation of the city."

"Street" opens at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Tuesday and runs through May 27 (click for info).