In Post CS—the former TPG Post building that temporarily housed, among others, the Stedelijk Museum and Club 11—W139 operated a temporary exhibition space in the basement. At the time, the building was difficult to access by public transport.

The spatial experience of Temporary Stop: Post CS began at the main entrance of the building. A metro cube was mounted on the roof, an illuminated “platform” sign hung above the stairs, and the corridors beyond had the appearance of a metro station.

In the basement, visitors entered a cold waiting room furnished with long rows of plastic chairs and four monitors on the wall. These displayed footage from security cameras—images recorded on an empty platform and inside a moving metro. The platform was reached via a gently sloping floor (wheelchair accessible).

All the basic elements of a metro station were present: platforms ending in black voids on either side, tracks with a yellow power rail, a clock, a digital information display, and surveillance cameras.

But no metro would arrive.

On closer inspection, it became clear: only the second hand moved on the clock, and the digital board displayed no information. The tracks, though realistic in appearance, were made of wood; the screws were macaroons. The black tunnel seemed endless but was, in fact, a solid black wall just six meters away.