January 2011
13 posts
1 tag
Please Do Not Feed the Rats
With the recent influx of internet videos of rats on subway cars these past couple weeks, it looks like the MTA has taken the initiative to address the problem. Sorry kids—the petting zoo closes at midnight.
Photo taken by Vince Noir at Bedford Avenue.
Original Article
1 tag
Subway Art Twofer
Here I am in Union Square station. I follow my ears to the bluegrass music I hear on the yellow line platform. As I get closer I realize it is my friend Maggie along with the guitarist from her band Spirit Family Reunion. I say hello and start filming, figuring this would be the perfect opportunity to give them some publicity and get some awesome bluegrass up on the blog. After I finish filming...
1 tag
Tuesday Tag: JA
I noticed a few fresh tags when I hopped on to the F train at 23rd Street the other day. This writer goes by the name JA. I saw the tag again just a few days later in an unexpected place—Joe Rivera’s book called “Vandal Squad: Inside the New York City Transit Police Department, 1984-2004.” The book is a look at the graffiti scene through the eyes of one the cops on NYC’s...
1 tag
Invisible Subway Art
Kudos to SAB reader Blake Martz for catching this and kudos to the artist for playing on the fact that this helvetica typeface blends right into the sign. It took me a good few moments to catch the alteration myself. Who knows what else I have missed?
Update:
It seems as though this is a quote from a book! Jen Doll of The Village Voice’s “Runnin Scared” blog elaborates:
...
1 tag
The End is Near... the J Train
It is hard to tell what is performance art and what is not in Bushwick nowadays. Filmmaker/performer Matthew Silver further blurs this line with his performances under the J train. In the video above, called “Heartpocalypse,” Silver suits up as his sign-wielding, street corner lunatic alter-ego and preaches messages of doom and love to the (surprisingly calm) people of Broadway. It...
1 tag
Tuesday Tag: SURE and FAUST
For this week’s Tuesday Tag, let’s talk about SURE and FAUST—graffiti writers whose tags appear next to each other so often that they are often mistaken for one person. The two were originally drawn to each other because of how much they had in common—stylistically and beyond—and met in 2001 through mutual friends. In the years to come, they had become a duo; they drew upon the same...
1 tag
MetroCard Creations by Thomas McKean
More and more artists are utilizing the MetroCard as a material to create art. The latest to come to my attention is Thomas McKean, who creates sculptures, mosaics and other interesting little trinkets out of the card.
The artist had this to say in a statement about his medium:
Usually we swipe them in a hurry as we pass through the turnstile, hoping we haven’t missed the subway. Or dip...
1 tag
Undercity by Andrew Wonder
UNDERCITY from Andrew Wonder on Vimeo.
If you daydream about wandering through tunnels, sewers, subway stations, or other structures forgotten by time, this video is for you. Urban explorer Steve Duncan leads us (and filmmaker Andrew Wonder) on a tour of New York City’s subconscious. The old City Hall station, the Canal Street sewer and the top of the Williamsburgh Bridge are just a few...
1 tag
Remembering The King
What is this you say? Gibberish in the subway?
Not quite! Some timely graffiti celebrating the one true king–Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo by the one and only Luna Park.
Original Article
1 tag
Tuesday Tag: 3ESS
I’m excited to unveil a new feature on Subway Art Blog. There is a whole subset of subway art that has been underrepresented here on the blog and I hope to rectify this problem starting now.
Over the past several months I have been documenting all sorts of graffiti that I find in and around the subway. At first I was just doing it for fun; documenting Jim Joe’s work made me start...
1 tag
No Pants 2k11
NYC got a much needed pick-me-up yesterday with the 10th annual No Pants Subway Ride, organized by our friends at Improv Everywhere. Several groups of pantless pranksters rode various subway lines and converged at Union Square Park.
The Pro-Pants Alliance was back once again to administer free pants tests, distribute pamphlets and even give out pairs of pants in hopes of converting the pantless...
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Sexytime Employee Toilet
It looks like the artist I wrote about a couple weeks ago has struck again with another sex position on another subway sign! If anyone knows anything about this artist or has snapped photos of other positions, please e-mail me. For now I shall dub thee “Sex Sign Savant.”
Original Article
1 tag
The MTA's New Ad Campaign: Now With More Honesty!
…but fare hikes do! Photo by moi.
Original Article