"ON AND OFF THE BOARDWALK"- Beach 67th Street Subway Station, Rockaway Line, New York, USA
in collaboration with Ingo Fast
Client: MTA Arts for Transit
Architect: MTA New York City Transit
Photo credits: Peter Bartsch
Technique: Multiple layers of airbrushed enamels on safety glass.
DESCRIPTION: The narrative was inspired by the historical role of the Rockaways as a recreational focal point for the NYC urban population in the early twentieth century. It was a splendid time to be had by and on the beach those days, with parades, fireworks, and all shades of characters streaming into the seaside from the gritty city center.
The drawings in this series of 17 individual panels attempt to depict a humorous, satirical, innocent, and almost childlike character of the beach-going atmosphere in those times. The work was divided into three summer scenes with groups of five panels each, and a winter scene on one double panel.
Due to the absolutely wonderful and meticulous work by the craftsmen at Peters Studios, the panels fully retain the subtlety and accuracy of the line work and even the original watercolor shades of my work. This was the first time such a perfect, “1:1” translation of original artwork into a large-scale glass installation had been successfully achieved.
– Ingo Fast, Artist