V-Beam

2000 Grand Central – 42nd Street (S, 4, 5, 6, 7) New York City Transit

"V-Beam" is a functional structure and an aesthetic statement. Artist Christopher Sproat has combined standard transportation hardware — signage, air circulation, and safety equipment — with his artistic sensibility to integrate the sculpture into the transit environment. The artwork takes the form of a large V, which Sproat judged to be the most practical shape in terms of access and stability, and is equipped with extruded aluminum panels and light-emitting diodes to carry out its functions. "Rather than make an artistic or decorative statement and add it to the station so that the viewer knows 'this is art,' I chose to make the entire space exuberant and unique," the artist says.