If you get on Line 5 at Gwanghwamun subway station in the direction of Macheon, you will arrive at Euljiro 4-ga subway station, where Line 5 and Line 2 intersect. The train stops at the platform for a while. Subway platforms are places where people wait for the next train and enter or exit arriving and departing trains. Noises and breezes are created by the passing trains and people, who also pass by one another. Even though the circumstances on the platforms change rapidly from moment to moment, it is very boring to remain there. On the ceiling, where people do not usually look, an artist has installed some ten thousand vinyl rectangles. Each measuring 15 by 25 centimeters, these pieces are hung vertically with 15-centimeter spacing between them. Various images appear on each piece of vinyl: faces of people, worker ants, which are donated by the citizens of Seoul. On the reverse side of each piece appear images that cannot be grasped easily. Suddenly a train comes gliding toward the platform. The wind blows in one direction and the pieces of cloth are all simultaneously blown upward so that they float parallel to the ceiling. On the now-horizontal grid formed by the vinyl pieces, individual words can be deciphered amid a gorgeous background: “Poo Ha Ha Ha,” “Power, Power, Power,” and “Puck! Puck! Puck!” These are the sounds of men fighting and so on. You now understand that Cool Subway is card-section artwork that relies upon the air flow of the platform. When the vinyl pieces are in a vertical position, it is difficult to properly comprehend their imagery, but whenever the wind blows, the images are constructed and deconstructed instantly. You, as a subway passenger, can simply enjoy the visual pleasure and the written messages. I hope it offers fresh stimulation to your ordinary, boring daily subway journey.
