Even though Christmas is among the most significant tourist periods in various major cities, every holiday season there exists a particular tranquility due to the temporary large-scale movement of urban dwellers returning to their hometowns. For photographer and movement director Luisa Opalesky, it was a sense of serenity during the pandemic in New York City that motivated her newest project, Big City Nobody.
Launched this Christmas, her inaugural photobook chronicles personal moments in the city from 2020 to 2024. In the opening sections of the book is a handwritten note detailing 20 observations she made during the Christmas week in 2020. In classic chaotic New York City fashion, she recalls everything from “dildo shaped human waste on Canal street” to a “six-foot, long-haired frail Santa” and “a doorman on 250 Broadway singing opera” to “rhinestoned French manicure tip nail resting in a night puddle on Houston & Bowery.”
Having been born and raised in Philadelphia to Venezuelan and Lithuanian parents, Opalesky experienced New York life for the first time during her teenage years when she spent a summer babysitting in the city. “I worked on the Upper East Side and instantly felt this was where I belonged. The characters existed on the highest frequency,” she reminisces. “Though I’m from Philadelphia, where interesting characters can be found everywhere, not at this intense level on every corner. [In New York] you encounter a vast array of diverse individuals, which fueled my desire to return and immerse myself in that cultural milieu.” The following year, she relocated to New York City to enroll at Parsons and pursue photography. “I was certain I would never depart, and it was when I commenced my studies,” she recalls. Over a decade later, she is now part of a generation of Lower East Side innovators who are essential to the city’s artistic fabric.
The book contains images not only from Christmas weeks spanning various years but also snapshots of everyday life along with outtakes from assignments for Interview Magazine and The New York Times. The visuals portray teenage girls filming TikToks on the streets, a person on a stretcher, another individual urinating in the park, and Opalesky herself sprawled on the ground. Furthermore, notable figures like Aquaria, Raisa Flowers, Parker Posey, Ice Spice, nail artist Mei Kawajiri (popular as @nailsbymei), and Julia Fox, who is depicted feeding her little son, make appearances. Throughout the book, numerous aerial images are included— a friend’s foot hanging off a balcony, a model stretched out on the top of an outdoor AC unit, and an individual hanging out of a high-rise window. “It’s such a tall city, and I possess a deep admiration for height and an obsession with altitude,” she expresses.
The title Big City Nobody originated from an evening spent with stylist and Interview editor-in-chief Mel Ottenberg (who is also featured in the book). After passionately singing Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” she recalls Ottenberg introducing her to new music, especially David Lee Roth’s “Just a Gigolo / I Ain’t Got Nobody,” where she believed she heard the phrase “big city, nobody.” In an ironic twist of fate, those lyrics were actually never part of the song.
but upon hearing it, she realized it embodied the essence of the book.
For numerous individuals, the vigor of New York City serves as a repellent, yet it can also serve as a reminder that amidst the chaos, we as individuals may be insignificant. However, this insignificance can bring a sense of liberation. Being a ‘nobody’ in such a vast city provides you the liberty to pursue your desires, as no one is observing you. “[There] is such a fixation on needing to be recognized and in a realm where there is so much focus on local icons, major celebrities, and various public figures, it brings me great joy and a profound sense of security to remain a nobody,” Opalesky elucidates. “I couldn’t stop contemplating how wonderful it is to simply wander wherever you wish and be a fly on the wall or a butterfly on a bicycle.”
In addition to the visuals within the book, Opalesky solicited some of her favorite authors to contribute their personal interpretations of the piece and its title. Contributors encompass Alissa Bennett, Susie Essman, Daniel Arnold, and Teardrop. In Bennett’s essay, she mentions, “one of photography’s most significant roles is its capacity to encapsulate a complete range of conditions within a single image.” More often than not, documentary-style photography reveals facets of our cities that would have otherwise gone unnoticed while we are ensnared in our routines. Even during the grandest celebrations, including Christmas, this type of photography can offer us new outlooks on the world. “I’m contemplating buying my dog a triple XL Grinch sweater and venturing out into the streets to capture photos and commentate,” Opalesky shares regarding her upcoming Christmas plans post-book release. “My aim is for people to feel inspired and foster love for their cities and fellow human beings.”
Big City Nobody can be found here.