About the film
The term 'Benching' was coined in New York in the 1970's by graffiti writers. The bench is a place graffiti writers gather to watch trains. In the subway era writers would go to places such as 149th St. in the Bronx and bench. After graffiti stopped running on the subways in the late 80's the art form made it's way onto the side of freight trains. It would take a few years, but eventually trains painted in New York and other cities made their way across the country and paved the way for a "National Subway" of sorts.
In the early 1990's freight trains coming out of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and LA were traveling with graffiti and were being spotted in cities and towns across the country. The film Benching: The Art of Watching Trains explores how this subculture, Benching, transitioned from subway platform's to random freight benches across the country. For the film Nielsen talks to individuals who benched subways in the 80's in New York. He also travels to various freight benches in Atlanta, Minneapolis, California, Florida, Louisiana and New Jersey and interviews benchers on the history of this culture.
In 1993 Nielsen started shooting Super 8 film of whatever pieces he saw when he was benching in the midwest. The footage from these bench sessions would later become the basis for this film. In 2009 he began traveling the country, setting up interviews and started principle photography. The film has been in production for nine years and is expected to be released in 2018.
The bench at 149th St. and Grand Concourse is one spot where graffiti writers would gather and watch trains in the 70's and 80's when graffiti ran on the subway trains in New York.
Izzy by IZ THE WIZ. IZ THE WIZ is one of a handful of writers who made an impact on both the subways and on the freights.
IZ THE WIZ caught by me sometime in 1994. By the time I caught this car the workers put a hefty stamp on the car but it was clear this was the same Iz The Wiz from the film and documentary Style Wars. After seeing IZ in Style Wars and seeing this car the connection between the subways and freights was solidified in my mind.
Himz was another writer from New York who had painted subways and whose work I saw in Minnesota in the early 1990's. My friend filmed this piece as well as others on Super 8 film which became the basis for this film.
Kirs and Cavs coming straight outta da Bronx in 1994 and caught in the Union Yard in Minneapolis, MN. Almost any train that had graffiti on it back then was something dope like this car right here. I knew these writers were also up on the subways because I had seen pictures of some of the trains they had painted in a magazine called The International Get Hip Times or TIGHT for short. This car is also featured in the video Tales From The Rails.
This photo is from my first time benching freights in 1993 taken at "The Tracks" which was a set of walls that we used to paint along a now defunct corridor of railroad tracks in South Minneapolis. We were just painting one day and a line of cars rolled through with pieces from Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago and Oakland. After seeing this line we realized just how far these things actually traveled.
Xister piece flying by on a main line track in Minnesota from the mid 90's. A lot of times we didn't take pictures when the trains were high balling past because the shot's didn't always turn out too good. This particular time the shot came out alright.
King 157 & Zen RTM caught rolling in Chicago in 1995.
The Atlanta Bench "kind of like our 149th St. and Grand Concourse" (Dax)
A line of freights crossing Hells Gate Bridge out of Queens and going west bound. Catching trains sometimes is a matter of luck, or knowing the trains schedule. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get this shot.