Art at MyCiTi stations showcases Cape Town’s local talent

Historic images of transport in Cape Town at the turn of the 19th century, installed at the MyCiTi station in Adderley Street this week, are the latest addition to the City of Cape Town’s growing portfolio of art along the MyCiTi routes across the city. Local artists are commissioned through this initiative to display their talent with the MyCiTi stations as their canvas.

Transport for Cape Town (TCT), the City’s transport authority, is in the process of commissioning and installing artworks at all of the 42 MyCiTi stations across the city.

‘We use this as an opportunity to showcase the talent of our local artists and to give visitors a sense of who we are. The images on the walls at the MyCiTi station in Adderley Street were reproduced onto ceramic tiles by the renowned Cape Town potter, Mervyn Gers. The images capture the vibrancy of Adderley Street at a time when public transport was still in its infancy – a befitting ode to this site at the heart of the Cape Town central business district,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.

Adderley Street has been the axis of movement in the city for nearly 360 years, be it with horse and carriage, by bicycle, or on foot. The theme of movement and public transport is expanded on by these images that were selected by the MyCiTi Artwork Selection Committee – represented by officials from TCT, ARG Design architects and the art curating company Educentric.

The work was commissioned earlier this year. Initially, the best quality images had to be procured, and were then graphically translated before Gers was able to reproduce the images onto the ceramic tiles at his studio in Paarden Eiland. The tiles were finally installed at the MyCiTi station in Adderley Street earlier this week.

Four black-and-white photos were selected depicting people from all walks of life in transit around the Cape Town central business district from as early as 1895 to the 1940s:

• The first image illustrates life in Adderley Street in 1895, some decades before the arrival of motor vehicles. Trams are zigzagging, people are strolling on sidewalks, and horse-carriages are used for transporting goods
• The second image dates from 1896 with a tram driver from the Cape Town Tramway Companies steering the machine
• The third image portrays ‘traffic’ in Adderley Street in the 1930s with trams, people and a lonely motorcar travelling towards the harbour, with Table Mountain in the background
• The fourth image gives one an idea of rush-hour in Hanover Street in the 1940s with young men and women fighting for space on a moving tram

‘The images on these walls illustrate the one certainty that every city around the globe faces: constant change. As our cities expand with more people and bigger economies, we have to adapt to the growing demand for public transport and we have to make use of the possibilities presented to us by new technologies and progress. Now, nearly 360 years since horse-carriages moved people and goods between the harbour and town, commuters from the 21st century step into the MyCiTi station, surrounded by art reminding us all of where we come from,’ said Councillor Herron.

Artwork has been installed at the majority of the existing MyCiTi stations across the city and at other stations the art is in the process of being commissioned. The work varies from mosaic works to sculptures, ceramics, mural paintings, drawings and sandblasted images such as the artwork titled ‘A Random History of Cape Town 1499 – 1994’ at the Airport station by the internationally acclaimed artist Sue Williamson.

‘The murals at the MyCiTi station in Atlantis were created by the now world-famous artist, Faith47 – a self-taught graffiti artist from Cape Town who paints her ideas on old cars, factory buildings, under bridges and on walls,’ said Councillor Herron.

Artist Julia Anastasopoulos designed the illustrations at the Civic Centre station; Zwelethu Machepha created the artwork at the Usasaza MyCiTi station; Thami Mbenekazi created those at the Killarney station; and the Cape Town-based multimedia designer Ofentse Letebele (aka King Debs) did the multi-coloured faces along the walls of the MyCiTi station in Dunoon, to name but a few.

‘Another profound art project is in the making at the MyCiTi station in Mitchells Plain – a collaborative effort between five artists. Four of the artists originate from Mitchells Plain and the fifth from Heideveld. They are currently working on murals – a composition of imaginary characters around the theme “Know Your Roots”. One of the artists, Mak1One, also created the mural for the Omuramba MyCiTi station along the T04 and T05 MyCiTi trunk routes. The other artists go by the names of Conform, Ice7, Rayzer and Drone,’ said Councillor Herron.

The MyCiTi art project derives from similar art projects along metropolitan subway systems around the world such as in New York, London and Moscow and the public transport system in Sao Paulo.

Educentric, a specialist art curating company, is commissioned by the City to facilitate a public process for the procurement of original artworks for the MyCiTi stations. Design proposals are solicited through a public tender process from designers and artists from Cape Town or, in some cases, elsewhere in South Africa. The designs are then tailored in accordance with the station layout, history, culture, etc. in consultation with the City and the architects, where after a selection is made in terms of local identity and creativity, among others.

‘The purpose of the art is to connect the commuters to the physical location, to rouse their interest in the surroundings, and to enhance their experience of the MyCiTi service. I want to urge our residents and commuters to take ownership of the artwork and to take a closer look the next time they step into a MyCiTi station, in particular in Adderley Street,’ said Councillor Herron.