This is Alec Rubin in performance at The Theater Within in a very characteristic pose of his, focused simultaneously inward and outward, likely in process of making his artistic choices at that very moment; what feelings to follow and reveal, which to ignore.
Stoni, my Swiss buddy, friend and New York room mate. Later he would have his own dance company in Berlin. Together we were able to afford an apartment on the 'very lower east side' of Manhattan.
717 East 5th Street (Avenue C - D)
New York, NY 10023
A seriously rough and tough neighborhood.
This particular building resisted gentrification for long.
Odd that later I would move in to 717 Manhattan Ave..
Out of the drab neighborhood, inside my first home of my own (Stoni, a dancer soon moved on to study Skinner Releasing Technique in Seattle) cheerful colors pleased me.
I was happy in my abode despite the roaches that were aplenty, and one freaking rat next door.
What I left behind was my dear friend Joe,
artisan, actor, and painter
with a truly artistic, sensitive soul.
Here he posed for me in front of his store
with one of his own, gorgeous carpet shoulder bags
(so like the bag that held my belongings
when I first entered the US.)
Joe was able to create anything he put his mind to, so it seemed. Joe's Creations were masterly crafted pieces of practical art, be they furnishings, as he was so generous in gifting our The Stuebli with, or clothing as with his intricate vests and house shoes or accessories like hand and shoulder bags with secret compartments created with the use of recycled silken ties.
