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Saturday, May 19, 2012

“Eye-Catching Railway Art for Weary Travelers” plus 1 more





Eye-Catching Railway Art for Weary Travelers | You The Designer
Public transportation is a convenient service to those of us who do not have our own cars. Riding trains and buses in the metro is a common way for one to get around the city in a fast and cheap way. Most underground train systems look dismal with advertising posters on grimy walls. However, we decided to take a look at train systems in cities that foster good architecture and art in their subways.


Operators of metros or underground railways must have felt the need for these spaces to be more colorful and pleasant for the passengers. Tell us about the ones you encounter in your daily commute through Facebook or Twitter. Meanwhile, here are the ones that made our list of the best railway art that includes murals, sculptures, and Baroque-style architecture!


Paris Metro

The Paris Metro is known for its Art Nouveau architecture. The entrances have become iconic because of their look. Glass canopies and cast-iron balustrades are among the most elaborate designs. The latter ones are made of stone, metal, and stainless steel.
 



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Stockholm Metro

The Stockholm Metro is sometimes called the “world’s longest art exhibition” due to the several hundred pieces of artwork on display in the stations. Commuters are often treated to eye-candy that’s not usually seen in this type of setting. Temporary exhibitions are also often included to showcase the work of home-grown talents.
 



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Singapore MRT

While the early stages of the MRT's construction is focused more on functionality rather than design, the interior design in some stations have improved over time. Murals and artwork found in Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit reflect the distinct characteristics of the different stations.
 



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London Underground

The London Underground's logo is one of the most recognizable logos of railway systems around the world. Poetry and visual arts take center stage in the aesthetics of Tube stations. Contemporary artists have contributed to the interior redecoration of The Underground, with pop culture references in the designs.





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New York Subway

Ceramic tile artwork, some dating back to the early 1900s, are used to decorate some stations. The New York Subway system also has an art program that promotes the use of public transportation.





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Posted: 18 May 2012 06:29 PM PDT
Modern Street Art: Inspiring People Through Unconventional Art | You The Designer
Everyday we're being bombarded by advertisements from companies who'd want to make a profit. Out of over a thousand advertisements, we can only process more or less than a hundred – this gives rise over the fact that only ten percent of all these advertisements actually convert into profit. What if we were to eliminate the billboards, the neon lights, the ugly copy, and all the stuff that are being spoon-fed to us?

We'd be free from visual pollution and at the same time the world will be a better place!

Of course, we can't really topple these conglomerates. They'll just come and bite us back, but what we can do is win the small battles – the ones on the streets.

A Revolution


Street art has received popularity in the past decade, with international artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey leading the fray. These two artists have been known for their politically infused artwork, from banksy's Guantanamo prisoner in Disneyland to Fairey's 2008 "Hope" Poster. These political works has been just some of the few works that's targeting the political landscape around the world.


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But in recent years, from being aggressive, street artists have mellowed down and a lot of them have taken the modern street art revolution to a different level, a more mature and humanist level, where street artists encourage people to feel better about themselves every day.


Empowering the People


A possible cause of the shift in street art's attitude, from being radical to mellow, is the public empathy towards the street artist's cause. Having an ally in the form of a community has transformed the street artist from a rebel youth, to a beloved character on the streets. This may have led different artists and new artists to provide moral and visual support to their audience.

Because of the revolutions, the different crises, and crushed dreams, contemporary street artists began to create new artwork that remind the people of their dreams, to be strong, and to move forward.

Some of these interesting artists are Morley, Swoon, and Above. These artists have created street art in a fashion that portrays the human need for inspiration and affirmation. Check out some of their work here:

Morley
An LA-based street artist, Morley devotes his time in creating typographic poster designs with his witty imagination. Inspired by the dreamers and the illustrious around the Hollywood area, he decided to create a series of posters that would somehow leave "a ray of hope" to the weary souls of the city. His style portrays relatable situations and emphasized by bold letters.



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Swoon
Swoon is a female street artist from Brooklyn whose works include installation art and wheatpaste prints. Her posters' design usually portrays people around her in the usual, every-day life. She's a prolific artist that is involved in different projects, one of them the recent performance project "Swimming Cities of Serenissima".



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Above
One of the few well-known yet anonymous street artists around, Above is well-known for his constant "art tours" that has covered almost three continents, from the United States, Europe, to Australia. His iconic "Arrow Mobile" installations are used depending on his project or the site of his planned project. He has also done wall murals that incorporate short messages or a play on words that can be seen in different parts of the world.



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Check out your neighborhood, who knows you might see other inspiring work from your local street artists. Make sure to share them with us through the comment section below.
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