I dreamed a world and called it Love

2021 Grand Central – 42nd Street (4, 5, 6, 7) New York City Transit

Jim Hodges' mirrored-glass artwork "I dreamed a world and called it Love" is nestled above the busiest entrance at Grand Central-42 St. Reflections of riders are a constant but ever-changing element of this public installation. No two visits will ever be the same.

The expansive work is located near the 42 Street entrance on the landing and mezzanine levels of the stairs and escalator that connect Grand Central Terminal with the subway station. It's composed of over 5,000 pieces of glass in more than 70 different colors. The composition inverts the commuter’s visual experience of descending underground. The progression begins with an upper landing rendered in sparkling deep blues that reference the celestial ceiling of Grand Central Terminal’s Main Concourse and contrast the pale stone architecture of the terminal. It then bursts into a kaleidoscope of color on the lower mezzanine, dazzling against the backdrop of black granite in the renovated subway entrance.

Camouflage serves as a representation of nature. The artwork's organic patterning contains a sense of life. Shapes appear fluid and imbue the surface with a swirling visual dynamism that mimics the pulsating energy of the station itself.

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