I was riding a subway car and in it a guy was trying to breakdance.
I was watching the Viennese New Year's concert, which is really great. But all the dudes in the orchestra looked almost identical. The BBC narrator mentioned that the number of women in the orchestra has gone down from 12 to 7 this year. This is however not this kind of essay..
As the BBC narrator explained Vienna is seeped in tradition, Brahms, etc, the Viennese get their entertainment in the concert hall, at the ballet and other stately and princely establishments.
In New York everyone performs everywhere, especially on the subway. They have the audience there captive at least between two stations.
The NYC Subway Car is one of the most entertaining platforms ever, of course not now but when the city is in full swing getting on the L is an experience.
They're all kinds of cultural styles arising from the street culture of New York City, but the subway culture is a thing of it's own.
Every train line is a subculture, and all New Yorkers know of the trains and their peculiarities, and the crowd that rides in them.
I created several video/performance/animation/installation works based on my experience and observations on the subway called Ingredients of a Subway Car. At one time I planned constructing a subway car and inviting people to paint graffiti on it. I am yet to act on that project.
As it happens I have moved so many times in New York - I have lived on almost all trains and all neighborhoods.
