Subway-Color-Archive: New Year
January 2024
I thought to close out last year with various project parts in motion, particularly large-scale model building and the overlaying of historical imagery on current/ in-progress station survey snapshots. The past year has taught me to be patient but ready for opportunities; I’ve grown used to putting some of my perfectionist qualities aside in favor of a rougher way of working where nothing is too precious, a tactic of adaptation. This project thrives on the unexpected and potentially unplanned, which can sometimes be intimidating for a person stressed by surprises. However, on occasion, the parts in motion intuitively inform what comes next, and all unfolds rather naturally.
A few days after the first S-C-A bulletin, the project was asked to partake in an arts-centric night titled “Rooted,” organized by an NYC-based collective called City Kids. This group comprises fellow people who grew up in the city, some of whom I attended middle or high school with. I could not pass up the chance to support this growing initiative, which is volunteer-led and “dedicated to enacting transparency, accessibility, and integrity in the arts through high-quality events that feature CITY KIDS; artists, organizations, and audiences whose early lives were formed by New York City.” This occasion and future events aim to “foster authentic community amongst life-long New Yorkers and newcomers to our city alike.” (Follow @justsomecitykids for updates.)
The event included space for visual/ fine art/ film mediums and segments for performing artists to share their work, an ode to the range of creative forms we grew up around. Shout out to LaGuardia High School; I think about it often when surveying the 8th Avenue stations from Columbus Circle 59th to 72nd… a few nights a week, I would go up a bit further to Harlem Lanes (RIP) for LaG bowling team practices. It is always exciting to hear about the new talent that comes out of there, continuing the legacy of influential creatives that bring dynamic energy to NYC. This city needs more space and time devoted to cultivating creativity; we can’t always rely on the local government to establish such outlets. More than ever, I admire individuals who unite and initiate productive and creative communities.
Before assembling new work for “Rooted,” I had started a 1"=1' chunk model of the 8th Ave/14th Street platform entirely constructed from cardboard, recycled museum board, and printer paper. $10,000 is enough to get a modest project going, but saving wherever possible is crucial. I dream of making a physical model with finer materials… further down the line; it’s unnecessary at this stage. The bounding box and composition of future models are still in flux.
14th, a high-traffic transfer stop, seemed like an excellent station to experiment with the crossover of collected photogrammetry and physical manifestations of the digital composite. Digital space can feel scaleless even if a scale is applied. Being a hands-on person, I needed to visualize and experience the digital model through physical means, a tangible reference that could give the computer model a place in the palpable research space. Increasingly, I’ve printed photos and reference documents to save my eyes from an overload of screen time. Perhaps the instinct to build a 1"=1' model was a deviant of that inclination.
The event proved this model can serve many purposes. Foremost, an interactive 3D moment varies the project’s public-facing presentation, which could have easily just been 2D. Many people connect and find comfort in the miniaturization of something familiar; this cannot always be accomplished in an entirely digital environment.¹ Furthermore, constructing at this scale, which is slightly large (W:16" x D:24" x H:18" — approximate), allows for the use and integration of household materials.² In this case, undercabinet lighting was used to illuminate the physical model even when the room lights were turned down for the performers (dance, music, film). Looking back, this was almost technically accurate since the florescence of station lighting is consistent in both day and night.
Also presented were new/reworked stills taken from the photogrammetry scans of 8 stations on the 2023–24 S-C-A route + a series of models depicting the color progression of columns of the 23rd Street E, C platform (from Wet Paint: A Study of Subway Columns — Spring 2020). The S-C-A memory box for handwritten submissions and the books “Subway Art” and “Vandal Squad,” discussed in the December bulletin, were also available for interaction. All parts considered I hope it told a story of past, present… and potential futures.
I always love reading what people submit to the memory portal. Please keep them coming on the S-C-A site! Non-text contributions are also welcome. Collecting in person is fantastic because you can get a feel for someone through their handwriting. It’s personal, even when anonymous. Here are some from this weekend:
“When I was in High School, I was in my second year, super hungry for change. Dissatisfied with expressing my identity for a period of time, I experimented with dressing funkier because it made me happy. Social anxiety was the first barrier. Then this one day, I was on the train home when a lady wearing flamingo shades and a crazy sick sash started speaking to me. She complimented my outfit, and that brought me confidence to speak with strangers. She was my flamingo fairy godmother. Her confidence radiated.”
“Blackout 2003, my summer camp got stuck on the train!!!….. Luckily, we were at a station. Some MTA workers opened the door.”
“I remember taking a piss in between two subway cars on the F train running express. 74st- Bway -Forest Hills”
“On the R Line…My friend, trying to impress some girl, kicked a newspaper out of my hand and lost his shoe. He then decided to hop down on one foot across two third rails and back to retrieve it. Dumbest thing I’ve ever seen a boy do.”
“The view of the Statue of Liberty at Smith & 9th St.”
“Seeing David Cross on the F train after binge-watching Arrested Development!!!”
Getting all this content together allowed me to reflect on the past 4.5 months of research. The enthusiastic reception gifted some much-needed refueling for the remaining 7.5 months of the Independent Projects grant period. I will share some exciting things in motion in the coming weeks/months. Stay tuned!
To receive the S-C-A 8th Avenue print memorabilia mailer in August 2024, send your contact information to subway.color.archive@gmail.com (Your info will not be distributed.) If you support the archive with a newsstand order, you automatically sign up for the 2023–24 mailer.
The 2023–24 route is supported by the 2023 Architecture + Design Independent Projects program, a grant partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and The Architectural League of New York. Independent Project grants are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State legislature.
This project is not monitored by or affiliated with the MTA.
A study of 8th Avenue will hopefully build the framework for future chroma investigations that branch into other boroughs and neighborhoods — pending additional funding.
Questions, comments, thoughts? Please send them to subway.color.archive@gmail.com
¹ See miniature work by Danny Cortes. Dollhouses. Railroad sets. NYBG train show.
² A tip I picked up in a grad school advanced studio taught by London-based architects Carmody and Groarke. They introduced us to the strategy of decision-making through building big. Constructing at a large scale forced me to consider production time vs. the amount of resolution I hoped to achieve per model element. They recommended setting up the bounding box/ composition (i.e., lens angle and lighting) thoroughly before producing. Moreover, printing texture on paper vs. creating it from scratch can also assist with the process. For example, suppose you wish to try four different materials on a mass, print a seamless texture, cut it to the form, and alternate between your options; this is a physical manifestation of changing materials in Enscape/ digital rendering.
