By Ila Couch in New York

Spend a concentrated amount of time in New York City and you're likely to develop tunnel vision. I made that discovery ten years ago while on a train ride to New Jersey. As the city's skyscrapers gave way to fields I experienced the oddest sensation: my eyes stretching to take in the expanding horizon. Without knowing it I had been blinkered. Blinkered by the city.By Ila Couch in New York

Spend a concentrated amount of time in New York City and you're likely to develop tunnel vision. I made that discovery ten years ago while on a train ride to New Jersey. As the city's skyscrapers gave way to fields I experienced the oddest sensation: my eyes stretching to take in the expanding horizon. Without knowing it I had been blinkered. Blinkered by the city.Considering you can navigate your way around New York City entirely underground the Sunday drive is a bit of a luxury. On a sunny Spring afternoon it feels good to head over the Brooklyn Bridge and see Manhattan in my rear view mirror as the tiny island it is. I'm on my way to the opening of Essenze, a showcase of work by New Zealand designers.

Amongst the collection are a selection of pieces from David Trubridge's Spiral Island Installation, inspired by forms found in the islands of the Pacific landscape. David is doing double duty, exhibiting at the international Contemporary Furniture Fair for three days so it's a whirlwind visit. I think he likes it that way though. He tells me that as much as he gets a buzz out of coming to New York he soon finds the need to get out and find his own head space. He means this literally if past trips to Iceland and Antarctica are anything to go by.

David won't go so far as to say the Essenze collection "says" anything about New Zealand but I could most certainly curl up on the outdoor bean bag under Christopher Metcalf's Punga lights and feel like I'm in the bush back home. David is all for bringing the outdoors in, especially in big cities where people's isolation from nature often means they're apathetic about protecting it.

I have to agree with him here. Manhattanites love Central Park but nature in the city is what parsley is to a steak dinner - garnish. A few years back when a census was taken of trees in New York City, only 8 per cent of the 592,130 counted were planted in Manhattan. I am constantly reminding people at service stations, supermarkets and drug stores that I don't need a plastic bag for my one item. My Aussie friend Penny can't help but say "refuse to use!" at automatic plastic baggers. In that respect the city has a lot of catching up to do but I guess that's the great thing about living in the biggest melting pot in the world - the good habits you learn back home eventually end up rubbing off.

If you are coming to the US to perform, exhibit or promote your creative endeavours please get in touch with her at bitingthebigapple@gmail.com

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05/06/08