Prose for the Passerby

On January 30tth, 2008 the Harrison Redline subway station bore the poesy fruits of the collaborative works of two downtown institutions, Columbia College Chicago and Jones College Prep. Their goal of The Harrison Haiku Project was conceived as both a means to showcase the creative product of Columbia Poetry students and to contribute to the downtown southern loop community where both schools reside. After getting approval from the CTA to adopt the Harrison station, the school’s Office of Campus Environment held a competition with Interior Architecture students to design the physical installation. Then workshops were held to choose original Haikus created by college students from Columbia and high school students from Jones.

These Haikus span the columns of the dark damp subway tunnel and with each step deeper comes more prose. I hate to say it.. but this prose blows. At this point in the project, a mere year and a half later these “flaky” haikus are missing letters, the font is a dull black and don’t really do much of anything aesthetically except take up space. These haikus are adjacent to ill designed geometric orange and yellow leaves that concave with the subway’s clammy ceiling. No doubt suggesting a season of “change” to come these visual designs bite.

The everyday passerby doesn’t even seem to notice this “change.” Being only fully displayed and explained at the entrance of the subway, most commuters are in too big of a huff down to the train to notice anything other than their watches. This poor representation of art when noticed just makes you wonder, “why?” Why would an art college design the potential “gate” to their school to look like it’s falling apart? Did one school not hold up their end of the deal? Or does this say that kids in the south loop receiving an education just simply not care.

And technically, not to nit-pick, but the haikus showcased aren’t even academically correct. They are intended to give a snapshot into a harmonious natural moment in time, and not involve characters or action. Yet, all the flaky prose seem to contain both elements. Yet, I suppose it’s meant to provide an urban twist on the poetry. But throughout my time spent in the Harrison station, this just leaves me wondering, “What is art?” And is that really what were they going for?

The whole project just seems conflicted in the way that it’s incorrect haikus represented in an almost street like graffiti way, even though they have been granted permission to perform this station’s restoration. But if it is in fact a restoration.. why is it falling apart already?! I do regard this station as the “gate” to the southern loop and I think it’s time for a real facelift. This project gets overlooked by such a large demographic and populous of people in one day, it deserves a little credit and respect or it should just go.