MyCiTi celebrates its station art

Transport for Cape Town, the City of Cape Town’s transport authority, has made art a central feature of the MyCiTi stations, with more than 50 works of art done by local and national artists.

The artworks range from mosaic works, sculptures and ceramics, to murals, paintings, drawings, sandblasted images and even street-art, and have been installed at 40 MyCiTi stations since 2010.

The project is about more than just the art in and around the stations – it’s also about connecting people to the history of the areas the stations are located in.

“For our users, we want the time spent in our stations or on our buses to be time well spent – an opportunity to see and do something for themselves in the course of a busy day, while someone else takes responsibility for getting them safely to their destination,” said City’s Mayoral Committee Member: Transport for Cape Town, Councillor Brett Herron.

Visit http://myciti.org.za/en/myciti-art/ and learn more about MyCiTi’s station art through:

• A map showing the location of the MyCiTi stations where there is art
• A gallery of images of the works
• A comprehensive downloadable e-book, called “The Art of MyCiTi”
• Information about the artists, and video interviews with the artists explaining the thinking behind the art and how they would like commuters to connect to their work
• A video interview with the curator Roger van Wyk explaining the aim of MyCiTi’s station art and what the process involved. At many of the stations, the artwork reflects our varied history and heritage.

From Civic Centre, Adderley and Gardens stations to Mitchells Plain and the West Coast, local artists have created work that relates to the area’s past.

At Civic Centre the cityscape, Looking Back, shows prominent buildings that used to be in the city and District Six. A series of infographics using mainly historical data can be seen on MyCiTi stations in Woodstock and the Milnerton area. At Adderley the images on the glass walls of the station show the street’s history and importance as a public transport corridor. The Gardens area’s diverse and natural wildlife inspired the mural on the station wall while the artwork at Porterfield is a play on the Cape’s jazz history. Local artists from in and around Mitchells Plain used the “Know Your Roots” theme to create the characters on the station walls so that people in that area can relate to the art.

The MyCiTi art project is similar to other 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.

“For many people their only exposure to formal art is through its provision in public spaces and on public infrastructure,” says Councillor Herron.