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May 19, 2008 | The Commuter’s Lament

On the subway pathway from the 42nd street A, C, E stop leading to the 7, 1, 2 and 3 train platform, I spotted these placards upon the beams – everyone else seemed to be in too much of a hurry to appreciate them. It turns out that this is a piece of work from Norman B. Colp entitled “The Commuter’s Lament/A Close Shave” and was commissioned by the MTA for $5,000 back in 1997. The last part of the title itself is a testament to the Burma-Shave shaving cream ads that Colp said inspired him. These were witty billboard ads posted on the side of highways between 1925 and 1963:

If wifie shuns / your fond embrace / don’t shoot the iceman / feel your face / Burma-Shave

When in school zones/ take it slow/ let the little / shavers grow / Burma-Shave















Turns out I also missed the first placard, which reads: “Overslept”. Apparently it still stands incomplete, as Mr. Colp wrote

The work is incomplete, for the last panel (a 24″x36″ B/W image of a slept-in bed) was removed for the station renovation last year (2005). […] Also missing are wall labels at the beginning and end of the sequence which identifies the work as THE COMMUTER’S LAMENT or A CLOSE SHAVE.

Norman B. Colp passed away on August 28, 2007.

Interestingly enough, two New York Times pieces (one an opinion column, the other a neighborhood report) offer differing takes on the artwork:

It’s hard to imagine, however, why working people would enjoy having their angst captured, magnified and reflected back at them every morning on their way to work. ”The Commuter’s Lament” was meant to be on display for one year, but hasn’t come down yet. It might be time to try another approach.

Daisy Hernandez, The City Life; The Laments of Commuting. August 3, 2002

But M.T.A. officials and commuters can get a laugh by taking a few seconds to look up and appreciate the dry wit attached to ceiling beams in a long, dingy and arid underground corridor, the one that connects the Eighth Avenue IND station to the IRT Nos. 1, 2 and 9 trains at Times Square.

Barbara Stewart, Neighborhood Report: Midtown; Lament Of Commuter In 8 Parts. October 12, 1997