Alice in Wonderland seems to interest New Yorkers: from the three spin off restaurants, Alice’s Tea Cup (Chapters 1, 2, and 3), to the bronze statute featuring Alice and others from Wonderland in Central park. So its not surprising that Alice and her fellow characters were made permanent subway art.
Located at the 50th street station on the No. 1 train line, is “Alice: The Way Out” by Liliana Porter. Crafted from glass mosaic, the panels are placed on the platform walls of both the uptown and downtown train lines. Installed in 1994, the art depicts a silhouette Alice in blue mosaic pulling back what appears to be a curtain.
Also shown is the mad hatter, a card solider, the queen of hearts, the white rabbit, and more. Porter crafted “Alice: The Way Out” to allow viewers to interpret the silhouettes as they please, and leave actions of the characters up to the imagination.
Because the subway system is underground and Alice fell down the rabbit hole, I think this is a very clever way of showing a classic character in a new light. If you ever find yourself on the west side in midtown, I suggest you take a peek.