"Coom Barooom" - Beach 44th Street Subway Station, Rockaway, Queens, New York, USA

My designs were inspired by the flora and fauna of the region. My aim was to provide light and vibrant colour to an otherwise dark location, to give viewers with a long commute a moment of joy and brightness on their way to and from their homes. I placed some elements near the bottom, so that they would be at eye level for children as they walked by the main portion or up the staircases to either side of the designs on the south facing side. Through the negative spaces in the design, viewers can see the community to the north, and on the south side, the Atlantic Ocean. The title is based on a fragment of William Carlos Williams’ prose poem, Spring and All. The passage has many lyrical lines, one of which alludes to the sound of waves crashing,'coom barooom'.

Artist: Jill Parisi
Client: MTA Arts for Transit

Technique: Hand-painted coloured vitreous enamels on cast glass blocks