I find my subjects on streets of New York. My goal is to show familiar objects in a new light creating black and white images that emphasize harmony and balance in geometry of lines and shapes. In my Brooklyn playground pictures, the playgrounds are “Utopian” in that they are like pieces of fairy tales within dark and preoccupied adult world. Specifically, there is a trend now towards creating “imagination playgrounds,” filled with imaginary characters or landmarks from imaginary places. These playgrounds are meant to be not only gyms, but places for children to develop their imagination.

My photographs of the disappearing structures of Coney Island, and the front lawn of the Brooklyn Museum, also capture a similar idea of play, entertainment, and cultural exposure through a planned built environment. I hope my images of places like Coney Island can also serve as eyewitnesses of a past that will disappear soon.

- Jacob Mann