Cities are dynamic landscapes, crisscrossed by paths of daily transit as people move from one neighborhood to another. For 47 Stories, artists Shira Walinsky and Laura Deutch reimagined the 47 bus route, which connects North and South Philadelphia—the 47 as an arena for voices, stories, and experiences, a space for reflection on the act of “migrating together.” Artist Mat Tomezsko’s 14 Movements used Broad Street as a mile-long canvas, unfolding a sonata of color across 14 blocks of the city’s busiest corridor. In collaboration with Philadelphia Poet Laureate Yolanda Wisher, 14 Movements spoke to the desire to be seen, heard, and represented, intentionally connecting South Philadelphia to City Hall during the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

While 47 Stories listened carefully to individual experience, 14 Movements drew attention to a broad range of civic concern. 47 Stories created interactions within a common mode of transportation, while 14 Movements drew our focus to the surface of the road itself. Both projects opened up conversation about transit and migration, Philadelphia’s landscape from north to south and back again, and the value in paying attention as we move through our days.

47 Stories was sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), the 25th Century Foundation, the Hummingbird Foundation, PIDC, and the Samuel S. Fels Fund. 14 Movements was sponsored by the Knight Foundation.