7 Ave. and Centre St. LRT Platform – Public Art Project

The Public Art Program and the Transportation department are pleased to present TransitStory by artist Jill Anholt along the 7 Avenue and Centre Street LRT platform in downtown Calgary.

TransitStory showcases 30 sculptures of people - fabricated from steel, carefully sandblasted and artfully painted – strategically installed along the transit platform. The crowd appears to share a brief moment of time and space with the other 7000 commuters embarking and disembarking at the busy station.

This installation is built within the metal air grates along the southeast edge of the LRT platform. Like footprints imbedded in the existing vents, the work will become a built trace of human presence within civic infrastructure. TransitStory will form a welcoming and intriguing facade for the TELUS Convention Centre, and will become a dynamic and engaging public presence that will also enhance the feeling of belonging and a sense of safety for users of the platform.

In the artist's words, "The artwork evokes the ephemeral presence and memory of past travellers. Like objects seen obliquely out of the corner of one's eye, the art installation will change from every angle – at once present and absent."

Image courtesy of Erin Balaban, Heavy Industries, Calgary.​

• The artist budget for this project is $215,000.
• The artist was chosen via open call process.
• This installation took place over the 2012 Family Day weekend.

Visual artist and designer Jill Anholt is a former Calgarian who has been creating site-specific public art installations since 1997. Her work investigates qualities of time, movement, light and materiality. Jill's intent is to intrigue passers-by, drawing them to look closer at the work and explore connections and relationships embodied in the site. Her artworks encompass many different levels of viewer interaction and accessibility; from the overall formal expression that creates a visual impact at a distance, to the material details and embedded imagery that provide a more intimate experience to viewers close up.

The Transportation Department is an active contributor to The City's Public Art Collection. The Department supports the creation of artwork, in a variety of media, that enhances infrastructure and the experience of Calgarians as they move throughout the city.

Through its projects, Transportation is making an important artistic contribution that will be enjoyed for decades by pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and motorists. These projects often address such unifying themes as land, water, travel and movement – connecting attributes of the terrain and location with concepts such as time, movement, and the site's past, present and future.