Proposal for BMT Subway Stations
My work over this past
year has evolved into a form that can easily be translated into materials other
than paint on paper. My first
thought was to work with ceramic tiles but I can also envision my current work
produced in wrought iron or stained glass. It was quite a surprise to learn of
this competition through O. K. Harris Gallery.
I was thinking about making a proposal to the subway system even before I
heard about this competition.
As is my usual
methodology, I relate to projects such as this from an architectural point of
view. I want to work with the
existing architectural space as a structure for my art. Before starting work on
my design proposal, I was looking at the integration of tile and architecture in
the work of Antoni Gaudí.
Studies in Architecture,
Printmaking, Art History and Psychology form the basic building blocks for this
work. In addition to this, I like
the idea of fluidity and impermanence in my art; the sense that paintings can
break apart into elements and then recombine into new organizational structures,
new images and new paintings. My
work is devised from grids and systems but is very much open to chance and
change.
Some of my early thoughts
on this proposal focused on the use of traditional materials found in the
subway. I chose to use standard
4.25” x 4.25” white ceramic tiles that I have seen in many of the stations.
To these standard tiles I have only added a black ¼ circle line.
I want to keep the artwork as light and bright as possible.
I want the work to look somehow familiar even though it is totally new. I like the idea that the design looks familiar (perhaps Art
Deco) which, I believe, adds to a sense of history and tradition.
I chose to work in black and white to keep the design simple and clear.
The work I have produced
for this proposal is in narrative form that can be read in either direction,
starting at any point and breaking off at any point.
The work has a sense of motion and movement that is integral to my idea
for this project.
While I strive to create objects of art that are spiritually, physically and intellectually engaging, I wish at the same time for my works to be dynamic, living paintings which maintain a sense of simplicity, harmony and balance. My goal is to create objects that seem to have created themselves, to have always existed, objects that resonate so deeply in the human psyche that they are understood as universal symbols of spirituality and crystals of reason.
As a final note, I want the work to be uplifting. I want it to have a sense of endless possibilities, of hope and of transcendence, a creative process with no end in sight. I want the viewer of my proposal to experience some of the endless possibilities encoded within this work.
New York City, 2000