Message In A Sculpture - Valentine Love Notes

 

If you've ever spent any time in the New York subway system, you've probably seen these little sculptures by Tom Otterness at the 8th Avenue/14th Street Station where the L train connects to the A, C, E line. These little works of art are not concentrated to one particular area, but spread throughout the station. It's one of my favorite places to wait for a train because I like to look at all of these little guys. On my way home from this part of town one night, I was feeling a little blue. Absently studying the sculptures for the umpteenth time in my commuter haze, my first thought was that someone strategically shoved a wad of garbage into the figure. When I saw the bright red shape, I realized it was a little scroll tucked into this special spot; a clever disguise hidden in plain view. I looked around to see if anyone was watching, and pulled out the scroll. 

It was a little secret - like finding a message in a bottle from across the sea, or experiencing that moment of anticipation when you crack open a fortune cookie. The mini scroll was attached to a brilliant red heart made from a simple paperclip. The message felt like it was put there just for me. The arbitrary words were lilting, some lyrics from a song I knew. "I want to hold your hand - the Beatles". The memory of the song and its intent immediately brought a little smile to my face. I walked around the platform, and noticed another bronze figure bearing another note as if it were some clue to a treasure hunt. Another heart, more lyrics. And another smile. In the distance, I heard a train coming. I circled the platform quickly hoping there might be more mysteries to unravel. I found a total of five little "love notes" before my gritty steel chariot arrived. Somewhere in a recessed chamber of my brain, I wondered if the undercover emissary behind the simple goodwill gesture was watching. I hope they saw the big grin on my face for the long ride home.

My favorite one- in some small way, this little reminder is so hard to remember but so true.

Subway Art - 116th Street

When I first moved to the Bronx, I immediately noticed the striking wall mosaics at 116th Street stop off of the Lexington Avenue Line that runs along the east side of Manhattan. As someone who loves vibrant color and favors circular forms, I was intrigued. As the subway car came to a screeching halt, and the doors opened, I was immediately transported to an art museum. 

I promised myself that one day when I had some time, I would leap out and check out the entire station. The work didn't disappoint. Seeming more like paintings and torn pieces of paper, the work was modern and painterly not quite fitting the hard glass and smalti medium. The bold shapes and solid circles, again unusual for the medium, caught my eye unlike any other through the transit system. I learned that the work was by Robert Blackburn, a master printmaker (makes sense) and that this was his last contribution to the art world. It is part of the ever-growing Arts for Transit public art program funded by the MTA.

116th Street

ROBERT BLACKBURN

In Everything There Is A Season, 2005

Glass mosaic on platform walls

Robert Blackburn's dynamic abstract patterns rendered in mosaic suggests the color and movement of the streets above that the artist shapes into beautiful artwork for the subway station. A master printmaker, Blackburn was a founding member of the Printmaking Workshop in Harlem. In 2001 MTA Arts for Transit commissioned Blackburn to create a work for the 116th Street subway station in Harlem. In failing health, he chose artist Mei-Tei-Sing Smith, a Bearden Fellow at the Printmaking Workshop, to assist him on what would prove to be his last major project. Once completed, his maquettes were enlarged and manufactured into ceramic and glass mosaics. Blackburn died in April 2003.

The description above is from the MTA website. You can see this beautiful artwork off of thetrain.

Can't Wait to See This - Alice in Wonderland

The isle of Manhattan is all aflutter over Tim Burton these days. He currently has a very popular exhibit at MOMA, and I've also started seeing these posters for his take on Alice and Wonderland all over the city. These aren't just your ordinary paste-ups. They are actually lit from behind making them even more brilliant and attractive to passers-by.

Some other visual stunners I have lined up are Pan's Labyrinth and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. Stay tuned for subsequent reviews.

UPDATE: Last evening (2/27/10) I watched Pan's Labyrinth and didn't really care for it at all. This "fairytale for adults" was violent with horrific imagery; not the imagery I thought I saw during the trailer. My least favorite part was also the most visually interesting. The scene depicted a sumptuous banquet with a figure who put its eyeballs into the palms of its clawed hands to see. Let's hope the other film is better.