161st Street and
the Grand Concourse


Helene Brandt
Room of Tranquility, 1997-2002 glass, stone, and marble mosaic mural, 7' x 38' mezzanine wall MTA Arts for Transit



Designed to create an illusion of a view outside the station, Helene's Brandt's trompe-l'oeil wall suggests an extension of the station floor and transposes the trees and sky outside the east wall of the station. Perspective and light create the illusion of depth and visually expand the space of the mezzanine passageway.

Her mosaic installation works in collaboration with Vito Acconci's project, Wall-Slide, in which sections of the wall appear to slip out of place and reveal another strata of the station. Room of Tranquility provides a place where the sun perpetually shines and the trees are forever green and lush.



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