A Futuristic installation
I have had this link in my list for months and yet every time I go to look at it I usually decide to do something else. I first came across it by way of Weburbanist, and then a blog titled Sketching With David. The Stockholm Metro system has an even hundred stations serving the greater Stockholm area. The system was first opened in 1950 after the conversion of the underground light rail system to a full out metro. The next addition was the Hötorget which ran to the suburbs on the western side of town in 1952 and then the two parts were connected via the Central station and the Old Town with the Green line in 1957. In 1964 an additional two lines were opened that went across the city from the north east via the city center to the south west. The last line to open was in 1975 when two lines were built that run from the city center to the north west. Currently more then 700,000 people use the system daily.
What is most interesting about the system is its decoration. The system is decorated with the work over over 140 different artists, the works range from sculpture, mosaics, paintings, inscriptions and reliefs. The installations have been an ongoing process from back in the 1950s when the system opened, all the way to modern works. One work of note is in the Rissne station where a wall fresco details the history of Earth’s civilizations along both sides of the platform. Another intriguing aspect of the system is that a lot of the walls were left with the raw rock exposed. Personally I think it is a rather inspired way of bringing art to the general public. Many systems have brought art in, but most of the art tends to have been installed with the system itself and appear to have been forgotten. Very few systems are decorated to this level. Moscow bears mention in this regard and merits a write up at a later date. For now enjoy the photos.
The Fresco in Rissne Station
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Assorted Metro Shots
Community Consultation