Sitting on the right side of the B train as it heads towards the Manhattan Bridge, I stare at whatever visible graffiti I can see covering the tunnel walls. Then suddenly, without warning, flashes of colors and shapes appear before my eyes.
It is very delightful and entertaining to look at. You have to be looking out the windows towards the right of the train, and you have to be angled towards the direction that the train is heading in. If you’re not, you won’t be able to see the sequences of motion. Also, the shapes move only when the train moves. When the train doesn’t, you only see still panels. It is very much like a flip book that way.
Ever since I had discovered this little wonder while on the B or Q train, I have looked for it every time I happened to be going back out to Manhattan from Brooklyn. But it had only occurred to me to look up more on this mysterious tunnel art work that is not graffiti. Apparently, this art work is a 30 year old installation called “Masstransiscope”. It was created and installed by artist Bill Brand in 1980 in an abandoned station that used to be Myrtle Avenue. It consisted of 228 painted panels viewed through vertical slits in the tunnel walls. But over the years, it became worn down and covered with layers of graffiti. But two years ago, the panels were meticulously cleaned and restored, and now it it is up for passengers to enjoy once more.
Here is the article on Masstransiscope
Here is Masstransiscope’s site
This is amazing! I could see why it would catch first-time viewers off-guard; the art is more intricate than one would expect. While watching the video, I was surprised that the unfolding images were lasting as long as they did. This piece is one of the many examples of how New York expresses itself artistically – and another of the many reasons why we love this characteristic of the city. Not all street art is vandalism.