New photos reveal two of the Metro Art-commissioned artworks that will greet transit riders at the underground Grand Av Arts/Bunker Hill Station, currently under construction along Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles.
An abstract geyser of color leaps up the wall in the Metro Art commissioned artwork High Prismatic by Pearl C. Hsiung. The artwork was inspired by the dynamic, ever-shifting cultural and geological landscape of downtown and the Bunker Hill neighborhood.
Stretching 60 feet high at the concourse level of the future station, the recently installed mural is composed of over one million glass pieces which were hand-cut by the skilled artisans who translated Hsiung’s original painting into an impressive mosaic.
Learn more about the High Prismatic artwork here.
Deeper into the station, as if in a reversal of gravity, two porcelain enamel murals by artist Mungo Thomson were also recently installed on the station’s platform. Titled Negative Space (STScI-2015-02), the two paired murals feature a stunning image of the Hubble Space Telescope’s 2015 composite photograph of the Andromeda (M31) galaxy.
During a recent virtual public conversation, Thomson shared the links between the underground geology of the station and outer space with the help of a Regional Connector tunneling engineer and a Hubble space telescope expert.
Learn more about the Negative Space (STScI-2015-02) artwork here.
Learn more about the seven commissioned artworks for the Regional Connector Transit Project here.
Learn more about the Metro Art program, projects in the works, events, publications and art opportunities at metro.net/art. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and sign up for our email list.
Categories: Metro Art
Great that Metro is supporting Public Art, but what about the missing main art panel from the Pasadena Lake Ave. station…where is it? Was it stolen, broken, vandalized or simply forgotten about? Pasadena people want to know wha’s up?
I realize the art money is a very small % of the budget, but not every station needs an installation, especially the outdoor light rail stations- they should be all built the same for cost savings. Most people waiting outdoors for a train want shade and security more than anything. Save your art budget for major stations , transfer stations or stations connected to a major point of interest. Thats all.
hi steve the 6 high speed elevators . like a south point and the orleans hotels in las vegas nv there are otis high speed elevators.
It really is nice station art. Still, I’d trade any station art for a restroom, a drinking fountain, or even just a vending machine. I wonder if Hsiung (who was born in Taichung) was ever wondered why train stations in Taiwan have so many more amenities than those in Los Angeles. Oh yeah, because there’s somehow never any money for nice things here in the richest city in the richest state in the richest country.
It would be really great if they can put both ameneities & good security at the stations! If they did, more people would start taking public transit!
It’s sad that state and federal funding for public transit is so abysmal and the cost of construction so high compared to other countries. Still they could relax the no eating and drinking rules and add a vending. There are American cities like Chicago that have them. Also, we need better security. My last trip on the Red Line a month ago was like walking through Skid Row. It’s not safe. I take the buses more now.Longer, but I feel much less threatened.