Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Let These Slow Subway GIFs Ease You Through Old NYC
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 26, 2017
Modified Apr 28, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 26, 2017
Modified Apr 28, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Slow Television is a wonderful creation that was popularized by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) in the aughts, and therefore sometimes referred to as Norwegian Slow Television. The genre aims for a sort of Zen viewing experience, by offering essentially hours and hours of footage documenting an ordinary event via a single shot. For example, NRK kicked off their foray into slow TV with a broadcast of a 7-hour train ride, all shot from one point-of-view, unedited.
Some look to Andy Warhol as the creator of slow TV, with the release of his 1963 film Sleep (literally over 5 hours of footage showing poet John Giorno sleeping). But that was not exactly the same thing—and it was far less soothing than traveling through a European countryside via a camera mounted to the front of a train car. And it was far less hygge than the Yule log, another slow TV hit.
But before slow TV had a name, others were already filming ordinary events from one point-of-view—particularly on trains (hands down the breakout star of slow television). Below, we have created Slow GIFs from some early footage taken on subway cars. A calming dose of slow TV in a much shorter package, to accommodate shorter contemporary attention spans. These were all shot in NYC's subway system, from 1905 through the 1980s—let's call them New York Slow GIFs.
And finally, taken from 1980s footage from the great Steven Siegel, a much faster, fear-fueled foray into Slow GIFs. Wait for it...
Tagged
flashback
gifs
norwegian slow television
slow television
slow tv
subway
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
'You Can See Everything' … as long as you go to Staten Island
Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes documentary has been selling out across Manhattan and Brooklyn. Tickets to see the film, however, are very much available in other boroughs.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 27, 2026 at 11:18 a.m. ET
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain
Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.
By
Sonia Rao
In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff
By
James Ramsay
A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings
By
Hannah Frishberg
A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .