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February 11, 2005
Subway Fashion
I love subway mosaics. The older ones at classic stations are beautiful and have a worn, antique look to them. Every tile is a slightly different color and shape and reflects light differently. It's like jewelry for the walls. The newer ones have a bolder scope -- they're larger (like the one in the 5th Ave. F/7 stop), use more varied materials, and I like the way the plain white tile is cut to accommodate their organic shapes. They're often whimsical or location-specific (see the fish swimming along the walls under the Museum of Natural History, or the beavers at Astor place). The intricate detail and quality often surprises me in unfamiliar stations. The eyes at the WTC A/C are chilling after 9/11.
Designers and the fashion community like mosaics, too. There's this purse, along with other underground paraphernalia turned into art, going up for auction soon. Tourists and residents in both London and New York have been appropriating the accidental and deliberate art of the underground for years. It's interesting that the MTA has made it into such big business in the last few years. There's even a catalog coming out. The merchandise isn't really doing it for me -- the whole point is that it should remind you of the experience of being in the subway, and mass market "F" t-shirts don't really do that. The stuff up for auction comes closer though. Very chic.
Posted by csageday at February 11, 2005 11:58 AM