In creating the artwork for the Dyckman Street station, Wopo Holup found inspiration in nature. Birds in Flight-Moon View consists of ceramic tile reliefs of birds in flight that were originally installed in 1991 (and titled Birds in Flight) within the white tile of the mezzanine wall and stairwells. With the opportunity presented when the station was recently rehabilitated, the artist was commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit and created white ceramic, low relief tile of the moon and earth surrounded by a white mosaic banding. The new work provides an extraordinary modern view of the earth as seen from the moonscape (from the Apollo missions). Blending with the existing station tiles, the circular shapes of the composition compliment the arched windows of the historic station and expand the view from the earlier artwork, by continuing the sky view-further up and out.
In the artist’s words, “Birds in Flight-Moon View greets customers upon entering the station and emphasizes nature and the vastness of the universe.“ Nature and biological forms of the urban landscape are brought within the interior environment of the station for the public to enjoy.
