MTA Arts & Design

Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

R. M. Fischer

Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Clock, 1992

Stainless steel and aluminum sculpture on façade of Manhattan Plaza ventilation building

The Art Deco forms of this monumental artwork respond to the architecture of the tunnel ventilation building on which it is installed, announcing the time with a glowing welcome. In the artist's words, the clock's "traditional form and function offer a sense of anticipation, and its sculptural presence instills a sense of wonder by day and at night." The 86-foot sculpture was commissioned to mark the tunnel's fortieth Anniversary. While it serves to tell travelers the time and to provide necessary illumination, the piece, more importantly, is a work of art. "Tunnels are also processional gateways and my work celebrates the passage from one New York City borough to another," Fischer says. The imagery in the work is a response to the architecture of the tunnel's nearby ventilation building and its era, automobile imagery, and engineering design.