Our patrons AREN’T being paranoid—there really ARE faces on the walls looking at them! Ner Beck’s “Found Faces” are now on view in the Young Adult room of Mulberry Street Library. The Young Adult room is exclusively the domain of library patrons aged 12 to 19, so teens and tweens should stop by to get a real kick out of a surprised looking bathtub, a quixotic building column, and a pipe that looks like it might go “meow!” and many more! 

What characteristics of showing your work in a Young Adult space informed your choice of the Found Faces photographs? How do you think this age group relates to this collection of photographs?

In making the final picks for the walls of the Young Adult section, I first looked back over my comments books from past shows, that requested visitors to “Tell me your favorite photograph in this exhibition.” This current display represents a selection of images that have had the highest response from young New Yorkers. They seem to enjoy and are able to quickly connect with the almost friendly, funny and sometimes scary quality that these faces reflect as they look back at you.

How do you find your faces on the street?

I usually go out to air my brains out at least once a day and end up walking about two miles with my camera always in hand. I never intentionally go on a photo safari to hunt down these overlooked or missed characters. The real problem for me, is not finding any faces, but the visual overload of seeing them constantly. The real final test that makes me decide to pull the trigger and capture an image is if I start snickering, smiling or mentally talking back to this new face that is trying to get my attention. I know this process sounds a little strange, but I have been working in this same old odd way since I started seeing faces everywhere and everyday on city streets. Recently I have been finding a gold mine of interesting faces while spending time in other cities such as Prague and Barcelona. It is refreshing to find them with a different regional twist other than that of my hometown of NYC.

Do you sometimes hear found voices accompanying the found faces?

Many of these faces seem to have their own unique voices, and some viewers have described to me what they hear once they stand in front of a photo and are confronted by these characters. When a face suddenly pops up and is staring at me and says “Hey you stop, look at me, or you will be really sorry if you do not take my picture.” Some examples are: a steam pipe that looks like a kitty that seems to meow. An architectural column that looks like Quasimodo who is crying out to Esmeralda. A dropped grouchy glove that is reprimanding everyone who almost accidently steps on him. An old discarded bathtub that whistles away, even though his days are numbered. A chattery coffee cup that has maybe had a little too much caffeine today. And finally, a muffin that is way too nice to eat. The voices go on and on, so listen with your eyes, and see if they speak to you too.

What are a few of your favorite comments that visitors have written in your guest book?

“So amazing. I dream of being a photographer when I grow up.”

“This way of looking should be an assignment for NYC high school photography students.”

“I have never been to a photo exhibition, I will really start looking around on my way home. Maybe I’ll create something just as awesome!”