Masstransiscope, 1980 (Restored 2008) Hand painted panels,
Lighting This project is temporarily closed for conservation
work. A disarmingly simple artwork, placed in the unused subway
station at Myrtle Avenue in 1980, has been restored.
Masstransiscope turns the subway into a movie machine,
presenting a colorful, animated "moving picture" to commuters as
the train moves through the tunnel. With heavy cleaning by
volunteers, the artwork became visible again in 2008. The
artwork has been viewed by millions of commuters from subway
cars leaving the northbound platform of the DeKalb Avenue
station on the express track. The 228 hand-painted panels are
viewed through a series of vertical slits set into a specially
constructed housing that runs the full 300' length of the old
station. The piece works on the principle of the Zoetrope, a
19th century optical toy. The movement of the train passing in
front of the exhibition creates the illusion of a 20-second
animated movie. In a regular movie the film passes through a