Thursday, May 19, 2022 – THE WOW FACTOR HAS ARRIVED AT THE TIMES SQUARE SUBWAY STATION
FROM THE ARCHIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2022
THE 679th EDITION
Nick Cave’s Vibrant ‘Soundsuits’ Subway Mosaics Capture the Energy of Times Square
BY DEVIN GANNON
TRANSIT ART AND DESIGN & 6 SQ FT
All photos courtesy of MTA/Trent Reeves, unless otherwise noted
Two new mosaics by the artist Nick Cave were unveiled in Times Square on Monday, completing a permanent artwork and marking the largest mosaic project in New York City’s subway system. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s public art program, the artwork, titled “Each One, Every One, Equal All,” features Cave’s wearable sculpture works “Soundsuits” translated into 4,600 square feet of colorful mosaic. The new artwork is part of a larger revamp of the 42nd Street station, including a new entrance and upgraded mezzanine level.
Cave’s Soundsuits are wearable sculptures made of different materials, from twigs and fur to sequins and feathers, that are inspired by African traditions. As 6sqft previously reported, Cave created his first Soundsuit in 1992 in direct response to the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles.
As part of the permanent artwork in the 42nd Street subway station, the Soundsuits have been translated into an expansive mosaic. The first part of the series, “Every One,” opened in September 2021 in the passageway that connects the B, D, F, and M trains to the 42nd Street shuttle.
“Each One” measures over 14 feet tall and features Soundsuits in “various states of vertical movement and suspension, accentuated by stripes that run floor to ceiling,” as the MTA described. The agency says the movement of the art is a reference to the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop.
MTA, MTA ARTS & DESIGN, NICK CAVE, NYC SUBWAY
MTA, MTA ARTS & DESIGN, NICK CAVE, NYC SUBWAY
MTA, MTA ARTS & DESIGN, NICK CAVE, NYC SUBWAY
MTA, MTA ARTS & DESIGN, NICK CAVE, NYC SUBWAY
MTA, MTA ARTS & DESIGN, NICK CAVE, NYC SUBWAY
MTA, MTA ARTS & DESIGN, NICK CAVE, NYC SUBWAY
Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA on Flickr
The MTA on Monday opened a new entrance at the 42nd Street-Times Square station that allows riders to directly enter and exit Broadway Plaza. The entrance includes a new accessible elevator, upgrades to lighting, new information signs, and new security cameras.
There is also a new staircase that is 15 feet wide with a new canopy made of over 230 triangular glass frames. All said and done, the new staircase and mezzanine upgrades, which took three years to complete, cost a whopping $30 million, as the New York Post reported. Real estate developer Jamestown, which is redeveloping One Times Square above the station, contributed $10 million for the elevator.
“The unveiling of this new subway entrance couldn’t come at a better time for subway riders,” Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction & Development, said. “From the new ADA accessibility elevator to the ongoing rebuilding and expansion of the Times Square station, the new subway entrance signifies MTA Construction & Development’s successful approach to delivering capital projects through innovative public-private partnerships.”
THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
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WEDNESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
FOR YEARS I HAVE ASKED RIOC TO REMOVE THIS BROKEN KIOSK FROM THE WEST PROMENADE. IT SEEMS
PERSISTANCE PAYS OFF. THE KIOSK IS NOW GONE AND SO THE SIDEWALK WILL NOT HAVE AN UGLY OBSTACLE INTRUDING ON IT !
(OUR COMPUTER ATE THE NAMES OF THE WINNERS, THOUGH GLORIA
HERMAN SAID IT WAS OUR OWN LEANING TOWER OF PIZZA.)
Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Deborah Dorff
All image are copyrighted (c)
Sources
MTA ARTS AND DESIGN
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