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(Photos courtesy of Vincent Falk)
When Chicago does a public art theme, Vincent Falk photographs himself beside every single sculpture with a matching outfit. Wow. I’ve always meant to do a catalog of all the public art on display every year, but not only does he photograph it every sculpture, he even wears a matching suit for each piece.
From his condo in Marina Towers he shot the most complete collection of Wacker Drive Construction photos. He broke up the scene into 19 sections and photographed each section once a week. Then he even went out and photographed himself wearing matching suits next to items on the construction scene!
We need more people like Vincent Falk in our world who are bold and have such great initiative.
Here’s some clippings about Vincent from a nbc5.com article: ========== During the day, Falk works in the Cook County information technology department as a computer programmer. “My real job is quoting programs like property tax bills and occassionally sales tax and gotcha programs. People who go out of Cook County and buy their cars and try to avoid the sales tax,” Falk said. Falk was born with glaucoma and is legally blind, which may explain why his mind retains an encyclopedia of knowledge and why bright-colored suits are his passion He buys his suits at Roberto’s on South State Street where the owner admits he carries some items only Falk and a handful of other people could love. “I do it because it’s fun to show off my wild suits. I guess I’m a ham at heart,” Falk said. “I manage to do a valuable community service. For people who tell me they see me on TV, I’m able to assure them that their TV set is working properly, that these really are the colors they’re seeing on their TV.” ==========
Somebody has too much money
i think it’s great. I wonder if he carries a suitcase with a few outfits and changes in a restaurant bathroom between photos. He must. I don’t see someone taking one photo, then going back home and changing and taking another photo and so on.
Considering the frequency and length of Chicago public art events, I’d bet he keeps his clothes at home.
I just saw a movie about Vincent at the Cucalorus Film Festival here in Wilmington, NC. I have visited Chicago many times but had never seen nor heard of Vincent. If I had, I would have guessed that he was a paid fashion model for Roberto’s or their suppliers. Hey, he does his shtick on the bridges of the Loop where 1000s of suit-wearing gentlemen pass every day, so I would have gotten the message that he was encouraging brokers, bankers, & lawyers to buy a suit that is NOT gray, black, or navy blue for once! 😉 There is a store similar to Roberto’s in Cleveland which sells men’s suits in hot pink, lavender, neon lime green, etc. Their target market seems to be Black pimps, but I never see anyone wearing those suits, so seriously, how do such stores stay in business??
If you’re interested in learning more about Vincent, please check out the website for our feature-length documentary, Vincent: A Life In Color. http://www.zweeblefilms.com
Those of us who live at Marina City think Vince Falk is a remarkable guy, and we love having this celebrity living among us. It’s a joy to observe Vince in his brightly-colored suits as he stands on the State Street bridge and waves to the people on the boats in the Chicago River.
“Vincent: A Life In Color” will have its Chicago premiere on May 7 at the Siskel Center, playing through May 13. I hope to see you there!