I take the Q train from Brooklyn to Manhattan a lot and am always fascinated by this animation that’s viewable from the train slightly after you pass the Dekalb Ave. stop (animation starts :20 in, there’s some NSFW language in the background):
So I finally decided to do some research on it. Turns out it’s Bill Brand’s Masstransiscope and it was installed in the abandoned Myrtle Avenue subway station in September, 1980. It’s made up of 228 hand-painted panels viewed through a series of vertical slits. It works on the principle of the Zoetrope, a 19th century optical toy.
Below is an old news story about Masstransiscope that interviews Brand. He talks about how being a filmmaker led to the idea: “Instead of having the film go through the projector, you could move the audience past the film.”
Joe Sak
on 12 Aug 10It’s cool because here in Chicago we just get ads for sleep medication
Justin
on 12 Aug 10Boston has a trailer for Coraline. It might be commercial, but I always enjoy it. Plus the experience changes depending on how fast the train is moving.
JD
on 12 Aug 10Very cool.
Guillaume
on 12 Aug 10Heh.. Taking that line daily, the ‘wowing’ of other commuters must get extremely repetitive, if not irritating.
Definitely the nicest take on subway art I’ve ever seen none the less.
Reggie
on 12 Aug 10Justin, It drives me nuts that that Coraline ad has been up so long! It gives me a chuckle though when it says “Opening February 2009”, which means the ad is almost two years old. I love the concept, but it must be really difficult to replace these or take them down.
TSL
on 13 Aug 10Thanks for posting this! I was 4 years old in 1980 and remember vividly for years the “cartoon” in Brooklyn I used to be able to see when my folks took me to Coney Island. At the time, especially, it was a great contrast to the seediness and grime of the rest of the subway system. An animated oasis!
Steve @ Database Software
on 13 Aug 10It’s a nice reminder of how hard some artists work to make our surroundings more beautiful and interesting. Unfortunately, a lot of us observe and maybe even appreciate it a little without really considering it.
Eddie
on 13 Aug 10Very cool! They do something like that with ads on the subway in Beijing.
Also check out these 3d Zoetropes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljFqF-TCBok http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzvQH7KrXF4
Jake Boxer
on 16 Aug 10Glad to hear other people mention the Boston Coraline ad. I wonder if I’ve ever been on the red line with any of you in the morning? :)
Pam
on 16 Aug 10I’m so completely amazed by it every time I take the train from Brooklyn. Very glad that it was restored two years ago for all to cherish throughout the rest of their lives.
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