Tim Antoniuk, Colin Birnie and Adrien Cho, 'From Here'

Artist Background: ‘From Here’ is a 12-part aluminium sculpture hanging from the ceiling in the University LRT station. The work was designed by Tim Antoniuk, Colin Birnie and Adrien Cho, all students of the university’s Art and Design program at the time of its creation. The piece was a commission from the City of Edmonton through The Works Society Art and Design in Public Places Program that sent out a call to Art and Design students at the U of A for a public work to hang in the University station. I have featured a number of works on this blog funded through the Art and Design in Public Places Program, which has been in place since 1998. The program, an offshoot of The Works, was created with the intention to improve and re-energize downtown Edmonton through the commission of publicly and privately funded artworks to be places throughout the city. The mission of The Places is to ‘[raise] the profile and liveability of Downtown and is used as a model for other areas of the City, increasing attractiveness for business, residents, and tourists alike.’ If you are further interested in this initiative I have included the link to The Places website at the bottom of this post.

Of the three artists who created the work, the only individual who seems to have continued in art and design is Tim Antoniuk who currently works as an Associate Professor at the U of A’s department of Design Studies. At the university he focuses on industrial design and social and sustainable design. The other two artists, Colin Birnie and Adrien Cho do not appear to have continued in the art field as there is no current information about them as artists.

My  Thoughts: I have always been fascinated by art in public transit stations because I am interested with the design and placement of pieces in such busy, functional spaces. As a life-long user of public transit I appreciate the effort that goes into making stations more warm and welcoming. Your daily commute is something you often want to bypass but inviting art makes the experience a little more tolerable. This is why I was excited to learn about the initiative The Places has made towards livening up public transit stations.

In regards to the work, I enjoy the relaxing wave of the steel ribbons, which appear to float above the staircase. Unfortunately, I am not sure if I like the placement of the piece within the lower level of the University LRT terminal. The aluminium appears grey and dull in the artificial light of the underground pathway. It is easy for the work to go unnoticed because the colours do not change or alter the space in any way. The work definitely doesn’t help warm up the atmosphere of the harsh LRT tunnel. I think it would have been better if the piece had been situated above ground where the natural light could provide a shine to the metal.  

The Places webpage: http://www.theworks.ab.ca/placesfolder/vision/vision.html