Fathom Points and Compass Bearings © Alyson Shotz 2012, hand-glazed ceramic tile, Smith and 9th Streets Station, Metro-North Railroad, Brooklyn NY
Commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit and Urban Design, and MTA New York City Transit
Photos: Rob Wilson, courtesy MTA Arts & Design
www.alysonshotz.com/nauticalcharts-fathompoints-compassbearings-2013
Shotz brings history to the present, in the contemporary new station building.
The rear wall of the station building may seem like an abstract line drawing created in stainless steel against a vivid blue tile mosaic background.
As one moves closer, it is revealed as a nautical map, with numbers for depth and letters for directions.
The mosaic map was adapted from a 1779 nautical map of NY Harbor as seen from the shoreline of Brooklyn.
