Freedom Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Freedom Tunnel is the name given to the Amtrak
tunnel under Riverside Park
in Manhattan
, New York City
. It got its name because the graffiti artist Chris "Freedom" Pape
used the tunnel walls to create some of his most notable artwork. The name may also be a reference to the former shantytowns built within the tunnel by homeless populations seeking shelter and freedom
to live rent-free and unsupervised by law enforcement.
in the 1930s to expand park space for Upper West Side
residents – although Moses's expansion of freeways in the same area effectively blocked access to the river.
After it was completed, the train tunnel was not used for long. With the automobile and trucking taking over more of the city's transport needs, trains no longer ran along the West Side
, and the giant, man-made caverns became a haven for homeless people. At its height, hundreds of people lived in the tunnel. On April 4, 1991 the tunnel was reopened as the Amtrak Empire Connection for trains and a massive eviction followed. The shantytowns were bulldozed and the tunnel was chained off.
To this day, however, graffiti artists and urban explorers continue to visit the tunnel, while the homeless population has dwindled to almost zero.
. The shafts of light allow graffiti art
to be seen in the gloom, and artists would often center their projects under the light to take advantage of the spot-lighting effect, as if in a gallery.
After achieving popularity in the book Spraycan art by James Prigoff and Henry Chalfant, graffiti artists began to flock to the Freedom Tunnel and gained access through a series of broken gates near 103rd street and Riverside Park. Early artists who left their mark on the tunnel included Smith and his brother Sane (who died in 1991), Ghost, Twist, Cost, and RevsCategory:Lowbrow pop surrealism artists.
Until the construction of the Trump Riverside development, the south side of the tunnel ended with a large open area. In the 1980s and 90s, a tent city with pirated electricity and hundreds, perhaps thousands of dwellers existed in the south end of the tunnel. Retired trains were also permanently parked near the south end of the tunnel allowing artists cover whole cars with paint and murals, even if the cars themselves never left the tunnels.
Works by "Freedom" remained mostly untouched and respected by taggers. A notable exception was the re-creation of Goya's
"The Third of May," which was defaced, but subsequently restored by Freedom.
In addition to the "Third of May," there are numerous other murals on the walls in the 100 and 90 block areas of the tunnel; including a chiaroscuro
style study of the Venus de Milo
, and original portraits rendered with impressionistic splashes of color. The centerpiece of the tunnel is a mural painted in the style of a comic book that tells an abstract story that seems to reference the relationship of the former residents of the tunnel, the city, and the police.
In the Fall of 2009, the north entrance to the Freedom Tunnel was painted over, as well as the miles of walls of the train tracks leading up to the entrance, although new graffiti has reappeared where the old graffiti was painted over. The "Third of May" mural has recently suffered a great deal of water damage due to a leak in the tunnel directly above.
As of the summer of 2010, Amtrak has been painting over the interior walls. Several murals, including the centerpiece mural by Freedom and Smith commemorating the former residents of the tunnel, have been painted over by Amtrak.
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
tunnel under Riverside Park
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It got its name because the graffiti artist Chris "Freedom" Pape
Chris Pape
Chris Pape is an American painter and graffiti artist. Pape started tagging subway tunnels and subway cars in 1974 as "Gen II" before adopting the tag "Freedom". Pape is best known for his numerous paintings in the eponymous Freedom Tunnel, an Amtrak tunnel running underneath Manhattan's...
used the tunnel walls to create some of his most notable artwork. The name may also be a reference to the former shantytowns built within the tunnel by homeless populations seeking shelter and freedom
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
to live rent-free and unsupervised by law enforcement.
History
The tunnel was built by Robert MosesRobert Moses
Robert Moses was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, Rockland County, and Westchester County, New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of...
in the 1930s to expand park space for Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
residents – although Moses's expansion of freeways in the same area effectively blocked access to the river.
After it was completed, the train tunnel was not used for long. With the automobile and trucking taking over more of the city's transport needs, trains no longer ran along the West Side
West Side
-India:* Kanpur* Mumbai* DELHI* Kolkata* Chennai* Bangalore* Hyderabad* Ahmedabad* Pune* Lucknow* Ludhiana* Jaipur* Patna* Indore* Bhopal* Chandigarh* Vadodara* Rajkot* Kochi,India* sagwara-Switzerland:...
, and the giant, man-made caverns became a haven for homeless people. At its height, hundreds of people lived in the tunnel. On April 4, 1991 the tunnel was reopened as the Amtrak Empire Connection for trains and a massive eviction followed. The shantytowns were bulldozed and the tunnel was chained off.
To this day, however, graffiti artists and urban explorers continue to visit the tunnel, while the homeless population has dwindled to almost zero.
Artwork
Over the tunnel's years of disuse, its isolated nature allowed graffiti artists and street artists to work without fear of arrest, leading to larger and more ambitious pieces. The tunnel has unique lighting provided by grates in the sidewalks of Riverside ParkRiverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
. The shafts of light allow graffiti art
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
to be seen in the gloom, and artists would often center their projects under the light to take advantage of the spot-lighting effect, as if in a gallery.
After achieving popularity in the book Spraycan art by James Prigoff and Henry Chalfant, graffiti artists began to flock to the Freedom Tunnel and gained access through a series of broken gates near 103rd street and Riverside Park. Early artists who left their mark on the tunnel included Smith and his brother Sane (who died in 1991), Ghost, Twist, Cost, and RevsCategory:Lowbrow pop surrealism artists.
Until the construction of the Trump Riverside development, the south side of the tunnel ended with a large open area. In the 1980s and 90s, a tent city with pirated electricity and hundreds, perhaps thousands of dwellers existed in the south end of the tunnel. Retired trains were also permanently parked near the south end of the tunnel allowing artists cover whole cars with paint and murals, even if the cars themselves never left the tunnels.
Works by "Freedom" remained mostly untouched and respected by taggers. A notable exception was the re-creation of Goya's
Francisco Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker regarded both as the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Goya was a court painter to the Spanish Crown, and through his works was both a commentator on and chronicler of his era...
"The Third of May," which was defaced, but subsequently restored by Freedom.
In addition to the "Third of May," there are numerous other murals on the walls in the 100 and 90 block areas of the tunnel; including a chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro in art is "an Italian term which literally means 'light-dark'. In paintings the description refers to clear tonal contrasts which are often used to suggest the volume and modelling of the subjects depicted"....
style study of the Venus de Milo
Venus de Milo
Aphrodite of Milos , better known as the Venus de Milo, is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture. Created at some time between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love and beauty. It is a marble sculpture, slightly...
, and original portraits rendered with impressionistic splashes of color. The centerpiece of the tunnel is a mural painted in the style of a comic book that tells an abstract story that seems to reference the relationship of the former residents of the tunnel, the city, and the police.
In the Fall of 2009, the north entrance to the Freedom Tunnel was painted over, as well as the miles of walls of the train tracks leading up to the entrance, although new graffiti has reappeared where the old graffiti was painted over. The "Third of May" mural has recently suffered a great deal of water damage due to a leak in the tunnel directly above.
As of the summer of 2010, Amtrak has been painting over the interior walls. Several murals, including the centerpiece mural by Freedom and Smith commemorating the former residents of the tunnel, have been painted over by Amtrak.
Film: Dark Days
British filmmaker Marc Singer spent two years underground shooting the film Dark Days, a documentary about the inhabitants of the Amtrak tunnel network.See also
- Urban explorationUrban explorationUrban exploration is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of urban areas or industrial facilities. Urban exploration is also commonly referred to as infiltration, although some people consider infiltration to be more closely associated with the exploration of active or...
- West Side Line (NYCRR)West Side Line (NYCRR)The West Side Line, also called the West Side Freight Line, is a railroad line on the west side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. North of Penn Station, from 34th Street, the line is used by Amtrak passenger service heading north via Albany to Toronto, Montreal and Chicago...
- Graffiti in the United StatesGraffiti in the United StatesGraffiti in the United States has had an international influence especially from the examples in the New York City Subway and the Chicana/Chicano experience.-History:...
External links
- Urbanlens: freedom tunnel: pants, porn, and poultry
- Covered Tracks 2007 documentary about the freedom tunnel
- The Freedom Tunnel 2008 Citynoise.org Photoblog
- UNDERCITY: New York City: The Riverside Park Amtrak Tunnel (AKA Freedom Tunnel, Mole People Tunnel)
- Photo Essay + Historical Background on the Freedom Tunnels