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Guerrilla Subway Stair Signs Help You Get Oriented In This Crazy, Mixed-Up City
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 7, 2015
Modified May 7, 2015
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 7, 2015
Modified May 7, 2015
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(Photo courtesy of Ryan Murphy)
Coming up from the depths of the city's subway system can be a disorienting thing, like being spun around and around before hitting a piñata blindfolded. RISD student Ryan Murphy is the latest to tackle the issue, in a project he says will reduce that sense of disorientation upon coming up from the underground:
"After prototyping a variety of options, I installed semi-permanent directional signs in the stairs of the 86th and Lexington station. I'm hoping to do a few more along the 4,5,6 line—and also to publish a list of what signs would need to go in what stairwells as other people have reached out about making their own."
After a few attempts at placing the signs, Murphy says he found a more durable material, and these are "waterproof and stuck on using a type of permanent plexiglass tape." But will they help, or add to the confusion? While they may further disorient tourists, Gothamist's Ben Yakas declares, "For Men like me, who could be dumped in the wilderness and find his way back with only the sun as his guide, it is cool."
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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