I've gone a bit parochial today. I thought this local titbit was interesting. A beautiful old bit of New York Subway tiling has recently been discovered beneath a false wall at Columbus Circle station. In a society where renewal is constant and ultra-modern is the mode, this kind of discovery is fairly unusual. Here is a bit of history that seems to have survived the rush towards the future. It will now be transported to a museum - I actually think it would be nicer left where it is!
Friday, November 2, 2007
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It's always pleasing to see a reminder of a more elegant past pushing through the plastic. I find the likes of the tiles more affecting than the tomb of Tutankhamun.
These sparks from the past feature a great deal in the poety of Seamus Famous. They open doors into the dark, serving as grace notes suggesting alternative realities. The subway tiles, like Seamus' blacksmith, are a reminder of realities behind and beyond modern false walls.
"Sometimes, leather-aproned, hairs in his nose,
He leans out on the jamb, recalls a clatter
Of hoofs where traffic is flashing in rows;
Then grunts and goes in, with a slam and flick
To beat real iron out, to work the bellows."
And yes, leave it where it is - as long as everyone can see it. You don't know where you're going until you see where you've been.
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