SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
✺
SEEKING: R46, R62/62A, and R68/68A train photos. PHOTO DROP
✺ JULY 2025:
Printed references will be mailed out. If you request(ed) a copy of the booklet, a tracking number will be sent to you upon release. Thank you for your patience.
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"Our concern is the interaction of color; that is, seeing what
happens between colors... Colors present themselves in continuous flux,
constantly related to changing neighbors and changing conditions. As a consequence, this proves for the reading of color what Kandinsky
often demanded for the reading of art: what counts is not the what but the
how.” - Josef Albers, Interaction of Color (1963)
ABOUT
The Subway-Color-Archive (S-C-A) aims to chronicle the layered chromatic and sensory-based elements of MTA platforms. 8th Avenue Independent Line (IND) stations between 207th St. and Jay St. Metrotech have nearly a century of color history, now dissected and revisited. Studies from 2023-25 highlight the columns that support this massive system and their expansive colorscapes.
↘ This research is supported by the 2023 Independent Projects program, a grant partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and The Architectural League of New York. Independent Project grants are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State legislature.
The S-C-A is not affiliated with the MTA.
Columns from 207th St. to Jay St. Metrotech
REFERENCE
PRINT
A free comprehensive booklet will be available in JULY 2025.
First print: 350 copies.
See bulletin for more information.
BULLETIN
Occasional updates on project developments and related news, events, and perspectives.
2025
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April-May Proofing, Maps, and Card Machines - In Progress
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January-March
a farewell to the R46, 62, 68
2024
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May Forming Palettes + Compositing
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February Prioritizing Parts
2023
2023-2024 Column Paint Samples
1931-2024 Column Palettes
207th Street Palette Context (2025)
WET PAINT
The path to pursue the S-C-A surfaced in a seminar called
The Polychromatic Reconstruction of Architecture
(Spring, 2020) taught by David Gissen at the Yale School of Architecture.
The pilot project developed during this time, “Wet Paint: A Study of Subway Columns,” focused on the 23rd Street E/C station, a local stop with moderate foot traffic. Paint chips were collected from the platform, dissected, and examined for chroma, thickness, and texture. Seven unique color phases emerged. Each progressive column reveals a new portal to the layer below.
3D prints (2024)
NEWSSTAND
Underground artifacts for every day things.
↘
Limited run/alternates occasionally.
↘
No tax. Item cost covers shipping.
My bag
13.5”(L) x 13.5”(W) x 3.5” (D)
Last call
13.5”(L) x 13.5”(W) x 3.5” (D)
3”(L) x 1.5”(W)
↘ Small Things
2”(L) x
1.25”(W)
Pin
Stainless steel
Butterfly clutch back
1.25”(L) x 0.75”(W)
1.5”(L) x 1”(W)
1.5”(L) x 1”(W)
Pin
Transparent rat
Butterfly clutch back
1.25”(L) x 1”(W)
1”(L) x 1”(W)
Pin (set)
Butterfly clutch back
0.5” diameter/ea.
Studs (set)
Brass, butterfly back
0.5”(L) x 0.5”(W)/ea.
Studs (set)
Brass, butterfly back
0.5” diameter/ea.
↘ Samples
Cap (Large)
3 Avail.
3 Avail.
3 Avail.
Contact subway.color.archive@gmail.com for questions, comments, and image rights.
© 2025 Mari Kroin