161st Street and
the Grand Concourse


Vito Acconci
(in collaboration with
di Domenico & Partners)
Wall-Slide, 2002
stone, tile and fiberglass installation throughout station
MTA Arts for Transit

 

 

Vito Acconci's Wall-Slide for 161st Street Station offers a playful trompe-l'oeil dislocation of the walls of the station. In some areas the shifting planes reveal an illusionistic view of the substrata of stone and steel below. In other areas dislocated walls create seating for waiting subway riders. The project, which is found throughout the station, appears to burst through ceilings and floors. It even erupts onto the sidewalk outside the station next to the MacDonald's. In the IRT station mezzanine, one of the tile sections appears to have been shoved up onto the ceiling, revealing Helene Brandt's trompe-l'oeil mosaic Room of Tranquility. On the IND mezzanine and subway levels, chunks of wall seem to collapse and create chairs. The project invites an exploration of the subway station as an archaeological site.

 

 

 

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