Expo Public Art

[Jason Saunders]

My understanding is that most of the artwork for the Expo line will be of the same material (porcelain enamel - a very strong, long lasting and proven material), the same rectangular size and in the same location at every station.

tiny.cc/tNfnm
Large Image depicting location of artwork (link because image is large)


You can see the location here at about 2:15


Expo Line


Expo Line

The Gold, Green and Red Lines have many wonderful pieces in different and unexpected locations. Different materials and vastly different styles are used. Each station is unique and it's own personality.


Red Line


Green Line


Green Line


Gold Line.



While I am very happy that all of our rail stations have public art I am a bit disappointed that Metro Art, who has done a stellar job in previous projects has opted to go the cookie cutter route for Expo. The work selected are fine pieces commissioned by (local?) artists for the stations but because they all will be in the same location, are the same size, the same shape and same material I feel that a huge opportunity was lost. There is something to be said for variety and for getting art off of a flat surface and into the three dimensional world. There is something to be said for functional and off the wall art which these works, as nice as they are, are not.

The images of the Expo Line's art work can be found on Metro's website:

www.metro.net/about_us/metroart/ma_expo.htm

What do you think?
What's your favorite Metro Art piece?

[darrell]

Good topic, Saunders, and one I have mixed feeling about.

The Green Line's giant hand holding a paper airplane is an example to me of small ideas made overwrought in the name of public "art", neither very attractive nor conveying much meaning.

I see the Expo Line's "transit parkway" structure and landscape designs as its primary art, and am happy to limit its formal art component to the planned panels.

Some of the panels are better than others; overall they seem reasonable. I'm disappointed that an idea I heard early on, of specifically commemorating the former upscale black neighborhood of Sugar Hill that was bisected by the Santa Monica Freeway, was not followed up on.

And a personal note from your examples: I went to Van Nuys High School with Renee Petropolous (class of 1971). But I mostly knew her from second year algebra class, which was not her strong subject.

[James Fujita]

well..... it's a little unfair to compare the Expo Line with the Red Line.

with the Red Line (and with any underground station), you have a lot more room to "play" with. so, you have stairs, you have walls, ceilings, escalators and elevators, you have the tunnels, you have the whole station box plus the entrances and exits, and if you don't have a TOD, you have the plaza area to work with.

with elevated stations, you have more stairs, more escalators, pillars and flyovers.

with the Expo Line stations, especially with the at-grade stations, you have two platforms, and I just don't see the opportunity for the sort of large art or sculpture that you have at other stations.

anyways, art doesn't have to be big and expansive to be beautiful. Little Tokyo's canopies are very understated, but I think they are awesome.

and, as Darrell said, the landscape architecture itself can be art.

[Jason Saunders]

Sept 3, 2009 15:14:18 GMT -8 James Fujita said:

well..... it's a little unfair to compare the Expo Line with the Red Line.

with the Red Line (and with any underground station), you have a lot more room to "play" with. so, you have stairs, you have walls, ceilings, escalators and elevators, you have the tunnels, you have the whole station box plus the entrances and exits, and if you don't have a TOD, you have the plaza area to work with.

with elevated stations, you have more stairs, more escalators, pillars and flyovers.

with the Expo Line stations, especially with the at-grade stations, you have two platforms, and I just don't see the opportunity for the sort of large art or sculpture that you have at other stations.

anyways, art doesn't have to be big and expansive to be beautiful. Little Tokyo's canopies are very understated, but I think they are awesome.

and, as Darrell said, the landscape architecture itself can be art.

You know your right. There is less opportunity area for a LRT located in the center median. As the budget is fixed 1/2 percent the pot of gold is a little less then for HRT as well.

However, there is still plenty of opportunity areas left. Off the top of my head:

- Inlayed into the Station floor (ala orange line)
- On the platform in a safe obstructing spot. (ala blue line wheel)
- On or incorporated into post
- functional art such as a seating elements or fencing.
- Alignment art as you approach the station in say some of the gardening.
- The aerial stations afford more opportunities in the mini plazas below
- They could even put it in the exact same location on the post but utilized different materials or create three dimensional pieces


Phoenix Arizona


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Portland's Yellow Line


Portland's Yellow Line


Portland's Yellow Line


Portland's Yellow Line


Portland's Yellow Line



Google returned this for Light Rail art. I'm not sure if it's on Portlands LRT but I include it only because I could easily envision something like this in the vegetation as one approached a station.


Seattle

______
And finely Los Angeles Gold Line


Chinatown


Lincoln Park
www.metro.net/images/detail_gold_f06.jpg
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Mission


Filmore


Del Mar



Lake

All of these LRTs recieved a standard .5% for art. With all due respect to my friends at Metro Art who generally do a fine job and to the artists the artwork that I've seen so far is very restrained and homogenized in presentation.

I'm sure they saved some money for when the dust settles. I hope at that time every couple of years we will be treated to a cool new piece of work on the line.

I also hope that in phase two they depart from this formula and allow their wings to spread a little bit.