Metropolitan Avenue/Lorimer Street

Jackie Chang

Signs of Life, 2000

Glass and ceramic tile on walls of mezzanine, transfer passageway, and stairs to L platforms

Constructed of glass and ceramic tile, Jackie Chang's Signs of Life offers text and images arranged as a puzzle throughout the station. A rock sits atop a pointed shape between two words, "FAITH" and "FATE." Other words -- "MAN," "KIND," "IT," "SELF" - are in the path of a cresting wave below. The artist seeks to spark the viewers' imaginations, perhaps hoping that interpretations will emerge over repeated viewings and rumination. The tone of the messages are enigmatic: are they optimistic or pessimistic; are they speaking of the past or to the future? "I kept my titles brief," Chang says. "I wanted them to be challenging." In a sense, these bits of what Chang calls "urban poetry" are an acknowledgment of the creative energy flowing through the community.