Client: Calgary Public Art Program and Transportation Department
Location: Calary, AB, Canada
Completion date: 2013
Artwork budget: $1,800,000
Project Team
Artist
Cliff Garten
Cliff Garten Studio
Public Art Agency
Calgary Public Art Program and Transportation Department
Other
Buro Happold
Overview
Luminous Crossings is a series of sculptures for two gateway stations of the 7th Avenue dedicated light rail corridor in Calgary. Four twenty-six foot sculptures, two at each station end, mark these two gateway stations to Calgary’s urban core. The sculptures are a performative part of the infrastructure, changing color to inform passengers of the arrival, docking and departure of trains.
Goals
The changing of colored lights in sync with the arrival, docking and departure of trains was possible through integration with the Vehicle Identification System or the GIS system that tracks the trains in close collaboration with Calgary Transit.
Process
The sculptures are based on switching diagrams for train tracks and take their sectional form from a twisting X for railroad crossings. Stainless steel rods follow this X form and twist over the length of the sculpture.