Rail Rider’s Throne
We have all seen artworks in subway stations all throughout the city. People usually do not pause for a split second to admire these pieces of art in the midst of their busy commuting lives. This weekend, however, I actually stopped to take a closer look at a sculpture strategically placed right under the platform label, “Columbia University,” in the 1 train station at 116th St, Manhattan. The sculpture was a steel chair labeled “Rail Rider’s Throne” that was molded into the ground, located about two feet away from a subway bench. Since the bench seats were filled, people all stopped to take a look at the chair, contemplating whether or not to sit on it. I did some research on that chair and found that its creator, Michelle Greene, built a series of artworks for the MTA that were all aimed at testing how people will interact with them. “Rail Rider’s Throne” is a must-see piece of public art because it does indeed attract attention and wonder. I would have sat on it myself if it was not old and rusty.
October 18th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Good for you to do a bit of research on the work! If you were interested, perhaps you might enjoy finding the other pieces in the subway made by the same artist (if there are any) and visiting them?
I would imagine that the character of the individual stations that the works were in might affect your perception of the works as well – for instance, encountering the works in a busy station might be very different than finding them in a quiet station. Even the changing time of day in the same station might lead to different perceptions of the work. The point I’m trying to get at is the way in which the work responds to or is informed by the site in which you find it.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:33 am
That’s a good point you make the subway stations. I never thought about it that way. Setting is important for an artwork because we know that artists are attentive to the walling and lighting surrounding their artwork in a museum. Likewise, the atmosphere and feel of the subway station can affect the artwork. However, the artist Michelle Greene does not have much control over the surroundings of the artwork besides its location (after all the lighting might vary due to the weather or broken lights). Like you said, the station can be quiet or crowded during certain times of the day.