Public artwork breathes life into Toronto transit
New works on the TTC’s Spadina extension and other transit stations bring colour to utilitarian spaces.

TheStar.com
May 19, 2015
Lauren Pelley

The screeching sounds of the subway. The throngs packed into the morning streetcar. The time spent in the dark underbelly of the city, surrounded by weary commuters and ads on every wall.

At times, there’s little to love about transit in Toronto. But in those claustrophobia-inducing moments, public artwork offers a breath of fresh air.

“As a user of the TTC I experience spaces that are overcrowded, worn down and increasingly filled with more and more ads trying to sell me something,” says Toronto photographer Robert Burley. “Public art is a welcome element, celebrating the human spirit in places where the soul is challenged.”

In the rush of a morning commute, it’s easy to miss the artwork found throughout the TTC system. But even more is on the way — public art is being incorporated into all six stops on the upcoming Spadina subway extension, for instance — and many say it helps bring the city’s transit system a sense of character and community.

Take Museum station, lauded around the world for its striking carved columns, echoing the artwork of ancient Egypt and Greece, Canada’s First Nations, and traditional cultures from China and Mexico.

It’s a “real celebration of culture” tying the underground urban network to the world above, says Adrian Piccolo, chief architect in the TTC’s engineering department.

“Public art in a transit network — indeed, public art in most settings — can play many roles, from creating a sense of place, to highlighting the historical and current presence of a community, to creating an unexpected and pleasurable visual encounter,” says Will Kwan, a senior lecturer at the University of Toronto Scarborough’s department of arts, culture and media.

“My favourite is Alejandro Cartagena’s installation in the Warden subway station,” says Burley, a Ryerson University assistant professor. “Not only is it beautiful and interesting documentary work, but the photographs of Mexican workers traveling to work in the back of pickup trucks have an ironic quality in today’s problem-plagued TTC.”

Transit artwork transforms the city into a “unique kind of creative laboratory,” according to Shawn Brixey, dean of York University’s school of the arts, media, performance and design.

“I’m delighted that I live in a city where we invest in that,” he says.

Here is a look at some of the diverse art projects — recent and in-progress — at TTC stops across the city.
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DUFFERIN STATION

Unveiled late last year, a colourful pixel design covers the walls of a modernized Dufferin Station, first opened back in 1966. Design firm spmb, led by Eduardo Aquino and Karen Shanski, developed the eye-catching design, which Piccolo says brings a “vibrant touch” to the community.

The artwork encompasses the entire station — along your entire path of travel — with pixilated photographs representing human experiences and cityscapes, coupled with over 100 “pixels” featuring engravings of icons, logos and historical references from the neighbourhood.

“You really do feel it when you’re on street level, among all the grays and browns on street level … It shows the community’s involvement with the station, and that’s ingrained in the station forever,” says Piccolo.

A colourful community-designed mural adorns construction hoarding outside Coxwell Station.

COXWELL AND WOODBINE STATIONS

Both stations on the east end of the Bloor-Danforth line are under construction to make them accessible. In the meantime, hoarding surrounds part of each station, but the dreary construction areas received a facelift this March in the form of community-designed murals.

The history-inspired murals were created through the youth mentorship program City on the Move - Young Artists in Transit - East, a project of the City of Toronto, the TTC and community partners Arts for Children and Youth and Children’s Peace Theatre. The youth worked with an artist mentor and incorporated contributions from Toronto’s poet laureate, George Elliott Clarke.

“It’s a better look, having aesthetically pleasing public art on the hoarding instead of grey or green,” Piccolo says with a laugh.

UNION STATION

New artwork unveiled while the transit hub continues to undergo renovations has been controversial, with many dubbing the dark designs “depressing.” But it’s still an eye-catching installation, with a 150-metre screen of 2-metre high glass panels featuring enlarged drawings and text from Stuart Reid, a multi-disciplinary artist and OCADU environmental design professor.

“It’s so subjective. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” says Piccolo. “It’s integrated art … Very similar to (Pape Station), it’s a much more low-key art installation, not a big splash of colour.”

GLENCAIRN STATION

Starting this year, the station’s skylight — leaking and worn after 35 years of use — will be refreshed with a new design from its original artist, Rita Letendre. According to the TTC, Letendre was commissioned to reinterpret the original artwork for a new skylight, a concept dubbed “Joy,” which will be built to last thanks to modern technology and glazing techniques.

“The artwork imparts a feeling of movement throughout the station for people in the station and for those on the subways passing through the station,” says a 2014 TTC report. “The title ‘Joy’ refers to the feeling of fiesta and happiness the artist wants to impart to passengers when they enter and leave the station.”

It’ll be a bit of a wait for this one, with construction not wrapping up until 2017.

SPADINA SUBWAY EXTENSION

Public artwork is being incorporated into all six stops on the Spadina subway extension. The styling and artists vary for each station, and designs could include integrated artwork in the walls, finishes and floors, according to Piccolo.

Pioneer Village Station, for instance, will include a “super sculpture” — a hybrid between art installation and lighting — from Berlin-based artists Tim and Jan Edler, while Finch West Station will have sculptural forms integrated into the building itself, blurring the line between art and architecture, thanks to British artist Bruce McLean.

Again, you’ll have to wait to see how it all turns out — the extension isn’t expected to open until the end of 2017.