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The Arches of Old Penn Station; The Arc of Gradiva
2018
34th Street-Penn Station (1,2,3, LIRR)
New York City Transit
The glass mosaic artworks installed at 34 St-Penn Station on the Seventh Avenue line are Diana Al Hadid’s meditations on the unique history of Penn Station, and are a reflection of its transient atmosphere as one of New York City’s immense transportation hubs.
Resurrected by Mayer of Munich in a shimmering glass mosaic of pearls, aquas, and gold, the works are both historic and contemporary, static and fluid, figural and architectural. In "The Arc of Gradiva" on the 60-foot long south wall, an image of Gradiva — the mythological female character from Wilhelm Jensen’s novella who "walks through walls" and roams the ancient ruins of Pompeii — appears as a ghostly apparition, with the flowing fabric of her garment stretching the length of the wall. Her footsteps mirror those of the crowds in the station.
"The Arches of Old Penn Station" on the west wall holds a painterly image of the grand interior of the original 1910 Beaux-Arts Penn Station. The image, dripping and obscured, is suggestive of an image slipping off the surface, but also tied and held to the grid of the surrounding tilework. Both images originate from life-size line drawings on mylar. The gestural lines create ghosted images of the past, coming in and out of focus through the station’s walls.
When considered together, one might imagine that Gradiva has come to claim both the original Penn Station in its former glory, as well as stake her presence in the subway station.
10 Photos
Explore "The Arches of Old Penn Station; The Arc of Gradiva" (2018)
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Resurrected by Mayer of Munich in a shimmering glass mosaic of pearls, aquas, and gold, the works are both historic and contemporary, static and fluid, figural and architectural. In "The Arc of Gradiva" on the 60-foot long south wall, an image of Gradiva — the mythological female character from Wilhelm Jensen’s novella who "walks through walls" and roams the ancient ruins of Pompeii — appears as a ghostly apparition, with the flowing fabric of her garment stretching the length of the wall. Her footsteps mirror those of the crowds in the station.
"The Arches of Old Penn Station" on the west wall holds a painterly image of the grand interior of the original 1910 Beaux-Arts Penn Station. The image, dripping and obscured, is suggestive of an image slipping off the surface, but also tied and held to the grid of the surrounding tilework. Both images originate from life-size line drawings on mylar. The gestural lines create ghosted images of the past, coming in and out of focus through the station’s walls.
When considered together, one might imagine that Gradiva has come to claim both the original Penn Station in its former glory, as well as stake her presence in the subway station.
10 Photos
Explore "The Arches of Old Penn Station; The Arc of Gradiva" (2018)
View Gallery
