Environmental Graffiti

Exploring the Sinister Catacombs of the City of Light

By the light of torches, candles or miners’ lamps, haunting scenes centuries old appear to unfold. Mud-caked galleries, abandoned quarries and even chambers containing human bones throw up their secrets. Consulting maps, self-trained guides lead the way. Others paint murals, throw up graffiti, play music, or even work at opening blocked sections of the Mines. For the diehard, spending days on end here in the catacombs is as normal as a walk in the park.

Continue reading...

The Rainbow Tunnel of Tel Aviv

A visit to Isreal may now include explicit stops at the open underground tunnels of Tel Aviv, where artists Bar & Shay have been hard at work installing colourful lights to the once dull underpasses. The new makeovers brighten up an otherwise unmemorable experience, and have already received acclaim as a great street intervention project.

Continue reading...

Crime and Corruption in the World’s Oldest Subway Tunnel

Once each month, a busy intersection in Brooklyn, New York, gets just a little bit busier. Traffic cones are set up, and cars are necessarily diverted to ensure the safety of an influx of tourists. In a single file outside the Independence Bank, the crowd's sights are fixed on the single, open manhole in the middle of the street, into which they'll crawl to hear the tale of crime surrounding the oldest subway tunnel in the world.

Continue reading...

Four Abandoned Stations of the London Underground

“And this also…has been one of the dark places of the earth.” Brompton Road tube. Image courtesy of underground-history.co.uk These are of course, famous words from Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novel: Heart of Darkness, describing Victorian London. At that time, the city was the heart of the most technologically advanced [...]

Continue reading...