New York City Subway Art Hunt

This is "Lariat Seat Loops" by James Garvey made with Bronze - hand forged in 1997 in the 33 St station.

More info from New York Open Data

James GarveyÕs fourteen sinuous and sculptural Lariat Seat Loops wrap around structural columns at the 33rd Street subway station in a variety of configurations. In each of the loops, Òthe thick bronze bar encircles the structural column and resembles the lasso demonstration in a Will Rogers film clip,Ó says their creator. As useful as they are decorative, some of the loops serve as handholds and others function as seat rests for weary riders wanting to take a load off their feet. Each bar swells where it touches the surface and is affixed to the column with custom-forged bolts.Garvey is trained as both an artist and an artisan. After receiving a degree in Fine Arts, he worked for ten years as a member of an artisan community in upstate New York. This was followed by a stint as a union ironworker, where he helped restore the armature of the Statue of Liberty. He then decided to meld the two disciplines, resulting in several public art commissions where he could utilize both his skill and his creativity to the fullest.The loops were handmade in GarveyÕs forge in Harlem. To him, the fact that they were individually crafted is critically important:I think the labor-intensive blacksmith approach is worthwhile because it has a shared appreciation in our collective unconscious, it demonstrates a traditional work ethic that is recognized by cultures throughout the world. I remain mindful of the most obvious thing about the New York City streetscape, it is a complicated place for people, and I intend to go beyond helping people cope with the conditions. Some people are thinking in conversation, and some are hearing tunes, I am visualizing objects and formations É resolving, refining, and approaching my world with creations. ÒWhen a seat rest or handhold design really works, it invites you to touch, to hold on. You want to use it,Ó says the artist. ÒMy aim is to put inspiration into routine treks and refresh people caught up in mundane thoughts.Ó

The hunt is still on!