Stockholm's Tunnelbana

I have mixed feelings about subways. From one perspective, they’re one of the best places we have for musing and people watching; however, it’s also important to note that feeling comfortable in such an undeniably “underground” setting is tough, to say the least. Until I saw these pictures of the subway system in Stockholm, I hadn’t considered that the reason behind my feeling unnatural could have more to do with the way we try to cover up that fact than the actual fact itself. Normally, when I see pictures of subway systems, the words that come to mind are “dirty,” “fast-paced,” and “necessary evil,” but these pics invoke a sense of adventure- they’re even warming, much like how I feel when I look at pictures of homey mountain cabins (I never would have thought that could be a subway association). Ultimately, I responded to this subway in the same way that I respond to art, a fact that almost leaves me speechless just for the fact that it’s a SUBWAY. There are always perks to honesty, and by letting the natural underground setting show through, it appears as though Stockholm warded off the general feelings of displacement subways are typically known for.