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Going Down: Intimate photography series captures private moments on a public escalator

In cities, there is rarely space for contemplation. An assault on the senses, we are bombarded with sights, sounds and hustle and bustle. However, there is one place where time seems to stop for a moment. The Escalator.

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Two people descend an escalator in a New York City shopping mall; one wears a vibrant purple coat while the other wears a white jacket and cap

In this voyeuristic photography series by David Katzenstein, the subjects are captured on a busy set of escalators in a New York City shopping mall. From a particular heightened vantage point, David was able to localise individuals or groups of people as they made their descent, creating what seems like ‘film stills’ - reflective moments captured in time and space. Each image has a story behind it for the viewer to fill in the blanks.

David explains: "This project was special for me because I discovered the scene and vantage point while on my way to do another assignment, and once I began to photograph I was struck by the variety of oncoming visual stories that came into frame as people descended on the escalator down to a store below."

This series is part of a wider collection entitled The Urban Landscape – see more here.

All images courtesy of David Katzenstein

Two women and a child descend an escalator in a shopping mall, viewed from above, with the child holding shopping bags
A group of people descending an escalator in a shopping mall, with a man in a blue blazer in the foreground and others in winter coats surrounding him
Woman in black beanie and patterned scarf descending escalator in shopping mall, looking downward in contemplative moment
Woman in a grey coat and patterned scarf descending an escalator in a shopping mall, looking downward in a moment of quiet contemplation
Two women descend an escalator in a shopping mall; one wears sunglasses and a black jacket over a graphic tee, the other wears a fur gilet and speaks on her phone
Man in business suit and glasses adjusting his hair while descending an escalator in a shopping mall
A man in a fluorescent yellow safety jacket guides two young women down an escalator in a shopping mall, with metal railings visible on either side
Woman in glasses and dark blazer descends an escalator in a New York City shopping mall, lost in contemplation
A woman and man descend an escalator in a shopping mall, their expressions contemplative as they look towards each other
Bald man wearing dark sunglasses and a grey blazer over a pink shirt descends an escalator in a shopping mall
Two men descend an escalator in a shopping mall, one in a dark jacket looking down and the other in a bright blue puffer jacket engaged in conversation
A man and woman descend a busy shopping mall escalator, both dressed in dark winter coats, with other shoppers visible above them on the steps
Man wearing glasses, black leather jacket and burgundy scarf with gold chain necklace on a descending escalator in a shopping mall
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