Bushwick
the NEW BOHEMIAN ENERGY
Rispoli became inspired by the vibe of artists and designers working in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Starting around 2011 he sensed this new cultural awareness solidifying. It reminded him of the 1970’s lower east side of Manhattan when Alphabet City artists and designers left SoHo due to gentrification. Bushwick was going through the same scenario, as artists and designers seeking space left Williamsburg and moved into Bushwick’s then large industrial buildings and lofts.
He began his relationship with Bushwick by taking classes at 3rd Ward, the large, magnificent incubator formerly located on Morgan Avenue. Bushwick was a destination to experience as the street became a stage once again with large-scaled visually overwhelming vibrant street art and murals, vintage clothing stores, restaurants, galleries, coffee shops, and nightlife collided continuously. In the “Bushwick” essay, Rispoli returns to his mid-seventies sensibility as a lens through which the musical message of the old East Village and a new generation’s unique hipster fashion identity fuse into a new persona.
