Room of Tranquility

2002 161st Street–Yankee Stadium (B, D, 4) New York City Transit

At the Yankee Stadium elevated station, walls that open in Vito Acconci's shifting architectural forms reveal Helene Brandt's "Room of Tranquility," where all is peaceful, still, and reassuring. Trees and sky seem real; the space appears to expand and depth is convincingly suggested. In Brandt's words, "I envisioned an imaginary room revealed behind the sliding tile walls — a quiet, restful space with a radiant view to the outside, a room of tranquility. I wanted the room to have illusionary windows that would seem to let the outside world penetrate into the station." Brandt rose to the challenge of responding to the site with a work that relates to Acconci's in counterpoint. As she stated, "I want my 'Room of Tranquility' to look as if it has always existed and is only now exposed to view by the sliding tile walls." Her site-specific artwork achieves a place of serenity, yet close to the roar of the crowds.