Comments on Infosnack Headquarters: Public art: would it make you ride Metro more?

I really think the one looks like something taken ...

2009-05-03T22:00:00.000-04:00

I really think the one looks like something taken from the A-ha video

Art is fine but given the budgetary cutbacks that ...

2009-04-28T14:38:00.000-04:00

Art is fine but given the budgetary cutbacks that are out there I fail to see how spending the dollars on art while cutting service is the right path.

No, art won't make me ride public transportation more.

Art in public places is a civic investment in plac...

2009-04-27T01:19:00.000-04:00

Art in public places is a civic investment in placemaking, and can't be assessed based on quantifiable ridership impacts. I suspect it does have some subliminal impacts, however, and these do matter -- perhaps not so much to ridership as to matters of "look and feel" that affect larger decisions about location and investment made by many individuals and institutions.

Metro art can work I think. But so often what they...

2009-04-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

Metro art can work I think. But so often what they put up is truly mystifying.

For example, lately on the TTC, they've been showing photos of other subway stations. I guess the photos at some point were thought to be arty or urban gritty or something. But they're not at all in the context of waiting for your train in the dripping Eglinton West station while looking at a photo of the dreary entrance to the Downsview Station.

But there's a big mosaic at Dupont that's really cool, and all the tiles are hexagonal. I like that. It's okay to make the stations nicer, but try to have some taste.

No. I ride transit regardless of how artsy it is. ...

2009-04-23T18:00:00.000-04:00

No. I ride transit regardless of how artsy it is.

I'm not exactly opposed to art in transit, but I very rarely understand why certain art is placed in stations.

In some cases, the art makes sense. For instance, Silver Spring's Commuting Penguins. Ok, so I don't know why they're penguins, but at least they're commuting.

In the case of Farragut North, the proposed Escalator Art appears to be some mythical topographic map from the mind of a computer game programmer. There's nothing wrong with that, but it might be more appropriate in - say - the Silicon Valley. After all, San Jose does have a light rail.

Metro's stations were originally designed art free. The stations themselves were supposed to be art. They glorify the transit experience with their open spaces, light shows, and common themes.

Spending $17 million for art might enhance the public space, but I don't see how these ambiguous art projects better link the Metro to specific neighborhoods or further a common riding experience.