Just outside of 110 Greene Street in the vibrant SoHo district of Manhattan, an artistic treasure quietly blends into the urban landscape. If you take a moment to look down at the sidewalk, you’ll notice a fascinating series of metal lines and glass lights embedded in the pavement, reminiscent of a circuit board.
This unique installation, titled “Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk”, is the work of Belgian artist Francoise Schein.
A Vision for SoHo’s Transformation
In the 1980s, SoHo was far from the trendy neighborhood it is today. It was a dilapidated industrial area struggling with decay. At the time, real estate developer Tony Goldman, who had purchased a building at 110 Greene Street in 1978, envisioned a more creative transformation for the area.
Goldman famously remarked, “Sidewalks are a great canvas to work on.” With that forward-thinking mindset, he supported an ambitious artistic endeavor in 1985, when Francoise Schein proposed embedding a giant subway map into the very pavement in front of his building.
Though Goldman financially backed the idea, not everyone shared his enthusiasm. The Department of Transportation initially mocked the concept, deeming it unconventional. However, Schein was undeterred and continued to fight for approval. Her persistence paid off when she finally gained support from various community boards and commissions, and the installation was greenlighted.
A Monumental Artwork in the Heart of Manhattan
Spanning 87 feet in length and 12 feet in width, the Subway Map sculpture is a striking sight. Constructed from stainless steel, it features 156 round glass lights, each one representing a subway stop on the map. To create the design, Schein combined elements from old and new subway maps but focused solely on Manhattan’s subway lines, allowing the piece to integrate seamlessly into its urban surroundings.
In describing her inspiration for the sculpture, Schein remarked, “I think this city resembles a computer. The kind of vision one has from an airplane looking down at the city at night. What you see is a giant computer chip. It would be as if you entered a computer.” This vision is clearly reflected in her work, which seems to echo the intricate, interconnected system of New York’s subway.
Legacy and Continued Impact
The sculpture became a beloved part of SoHo’s transformation and even earned an award from the Art Commission of the City of New York. While the neighborhood has undergone significant changes since the 1980s, Subway Map Floating on a New York Sidewalk continues to be a striking reminder of the area’s artistic evolution and a tribute to the ever-evolving nature of New York City itself.
How to get there?
“Located outside the SoHo building on Greene Street, between Prince and Spring Streets.”