The Underground Arts of NYC

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The Underground Arts of NYC

Subway: a seemingly simple and cheap way to travel. Cheap it is, but simple it is not. In fact, the subway system is a whole other city underground. There are numerous intricate turns, dark tunnels, and traffic lights that switch on and off. Only a true artist is able to navigate such tunnels. Strict instructions have to be maintained in order to ensure that no crash occurs. Subways are traveling back and forth, weaving around each other, to ensure that the passengers arrive to their destinations in a timely manner. The 6, the 1, the C, the B, the 4, and many more; numerous lines depending on the journey you want to take.

Thousands of people count on the reliability and frequency of the subway, that the drivers will be able to navigate their way through the tunnels efficiently, as a means of transporting from work to home and back. Without this artistic system “the underground city” traffic would increase, due to larger amounts of people above ground.

Tragic news: the subway system shuts down, a temporary glitch occurs. Art and mayhem break out!  In the underground city, there is a heat wave, all year round. A huge crowd packs together; in such a way that everyone traveling has just the right amount of space on the platform. An announcement is made, everyone is told to wait, to please be patient, that there is only a small delay.

The passengers get anxious; everyone is looking around, noticing the art of the magical underground city: the mosaics that make up the numbers of the streets and the graffiti that is drawn across the city. Generally, everyone is too busy to take a gander at the magnificent art because they are worrying about going from point A to point B. Throughout the streets in the underground city there are well known pieces of art. 42^nd Street Nocturne by Lynn Saville is a series of light box photographs, which features seven of NYC landmarks. On 28^th street there is 7 waves 4 twenty eight by Gerald Marks, which is a glass like box that depicts a seascape and appears to move as the subway moves. At Penn Station there is A Bird’s Life by Elizabeth Grajales, which depicts panels of birds nurturing their offspring. At 66^th Street/Lincoln Center there is Artemis, Acrobats, Divas, and Dancers by Nancy Spero, which depicts numerous art scenes along the walls. There are many more beautiful forms of art, such as these, that decorate the underground city.

Now, a whole new world is opened up. A woman is belting out tunes, walking around with a cup to gather coins that passengers are tossing at her. A jazz group starts singing and dancing with canes, trying to earn enough money to eat for the night. Numerous musicians with various instruments are playing beautiful music. Art surrounds you in the underground city.

The crowd is starting to get angry. An old lady is screaming at the security enforcer, swearing on her life that the 4 train would never come. The lady was wrong; twenty minutes later, it finally arrives. Passengers push and shove to get onto the train. It looks almost as if a river is breaking the dam: people are trampled, people are hurt; however, the lucky select make it onto the train, both scathed and unscathed. The train leaves, and the river of people returns to its equilibrium. Passengers standing still, waiting, anxiously to get to where they have to be.

Three trains pass by, the same thing occurs at the stopping of each train. Finally, my turn has come. The small space allotted to me was barely enough room. My body was contorted, much like everyone else’s, in order to fit. As the train jolted, everyone remained still; there was no place to be shoved. We were packed like sardines. Yet, at our first stop, a lady was screaming. It was as if she had gone mad. She wanted to get on the train. She was prying the doors open even though there was no room for her.

As is evident, the delay of the subway is debilitating for many. The artistic craftsmanship of the underground city is how people get to work each day, and how they get home. Ironically, when the subway breaks down, art breaks out, and attention is paid to the surroundings filled with beautiful things. The subway system is the art that enables citizens, residents, and visitors to travel throughout the city. It is the most important form of art there is.