Man Made Lake

Paris 5

   Modern streetscapes are dominated by buildings and parked cars; but there are many other details to enjoy, like light poles and mailboxes and subway vents and manhole covers and, yes, even pavement markings.

Paris 4

from the promenade plantée in the 12th Arrondissement

Whiteplains Road IRT

In the late 70s, when subway graffiti was at its peak, the 2 & 5 line was widely considered the most prestigious canvas in the system, in part because it showcased writers from some of the toughest neighborhoods in the Bronx and Brooklyn. By the early 90s the subways were essentially clean, and since then most traditional tagging with spray paint has been reduced to commissioned works on warehouses and delivery trucks.

I don't deny that the majority of graffiti was and is tasteless scribbling, and period shots of subway car interiors completely covered in felt tip markings make me gag. But I do get the impression that watching elevated trains was a much more exciting endeavor thirty years ago.

There's some amazing work documented in Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant's classic 1984 book Subway Art. To get an idea of what you missed, check out a digitized copy here.

West Philadelphia Storefronts

Fine Wine

    Man Made Lake turns 3 years old today. This is almost retirement age in the blogosphere, and indeed many of the best photoblogs are dropping like flies. Some get lazy and turn to flickr. Some just get lazy. Others seem to run out of things to photograph. But rest assure that we here at Man Made Lake will continue to bring you that real shit until this series of tubes goes the way of the telegraph. Your attention is appreciated.