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Canadian Urbanism Uncovered

Urban Planet Weird Wednesday: NYC’s subway animations

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Weird Wednesdays on Urban Planet takes a look at obscure, absurd, and curious things about cities around the world.

If you’ve been on a Manhattan-bound B or Q train in the past couple years, you may have noticed a series of moving images while looking out the window.

Though it’s been around since 1980, Masstransiscope went under a renovation project in 2008 that brought back the brilliance of the project. Artist Bill Brand hand-painted over 200 panels that were installed along the subway tunnel walls. When the train moves through the tunnel, the panels appear animated, like a flip-book.

New technologies based on the similar principals are now bringing animated advertisements for products, movies, and companies in city subway systems around the world.

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