For the festival's 16th edition, Archtober and Data Vandals present a newsstand activation at the 51st Street 6 train downtown platform, where visitors can explore the built environment above and below the city. The installation is designed in collaboration with Greater, the festival's longstanding creative partner. Stop by to revel in our rich local history of underground networks and iconic midtown buildings—and take our sticker surveys on how you see the city!  

Data Vandals is a NYC based art duo, artist Jen Ray and data visualization designer Jason Forrest, who turn public data into community conversations. Since April, they have run a former newsstand on the downtown 6 platform at 51st and Lexington as part of the MTA's Vacant Unit Activation Program. It's become a data-art gallery with rotating exhibitions, sticker surveys, live events, music, and a free newspaper. The interior opens a few times a week, but the exterior murals are around the clock, read by roughly 52,000 riders a day.

In collaboration with Archtober, they have created a new infographic that explores the above and below ground story of NYC’s infrastructure, specifically steam. Con Edison's steam network began in 1882 with three miles of pipe in the Financial District. Today it is the largest district heating system in the world: roughly 105 miles of pipe serving about 1,555 customers in Manhattan, all of them below 96th Street. Using city benchmarking data, we mapped every building in Manhattan that uses steam—1,202 of them and color by the building use type.  

But what about those orange-and-white funnels on the street? Three things make street steam: condensation, when rain or snowmelt meets a pipe running hundreds of degrees; small leaks awaiting overnight repair; and deliberate venting to release pressure. The funnel exists to lift the vapor above windshield height while the workers wait for the street closure so they can fix them.

Open every Friday and Sunday 3–6 pm!

Happenings

What’s Below Our Feet? An Engineering Spectacular
Monday, Oct 5, 5–6 PM
Hear from engineering experts about what it takes to work in the underbelly of NYC.

Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) Short Films Screening
Sunday, Oct 11, 4–5 PM
Enjoy a few short films in partnership with the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) in NYC’s smallest, hottest, loudest cinema.‍

Open House New York Weekend
Sunday, Oct 18, 3–5pm
Join us for an afternoon of fun in the subway during Open House New York weekend.

Screening of Gateways to New York: Othmar H. Ammann and His Bridges
Friday, Oct 23, 6–8pm
Enjoy a selected feature film from Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) in NYC’s smallest, hottest, loudest cinema.

Rats in the City: Costume Competition!
Friday, Oct 30, 7–9pm
Join rat experts, rat enthusiasts, and maybe a couple of rats for a Halloween costume competition to close out the Archtober take over.

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About Data Vandals

Data Vandals is a NYC art duo creating public installations, workshops, and participatory exhibitions that turn data into art and create participatory experiences in cities around the world. Our artwork transforms data into experiences that invite curiosity and create conversations, turning passive observers into active participants. Data Vandals is Jen Ray (artist) and Jason Forrest (dataviz expert). Driven by the conviction that meaningful change happens when art meets community, we have engaged thousands of people through exhibitions, performances, and workshops.