The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), in partnership with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), today announced the “rollout” of a new, interactive art installation traveling the Green Line through early July. The artwork is the latest in a series of cultural events and activities being launched citywide as part of “Open Culture”— the next phase of Open Chicago, the Mayor’s latest initiative to safely and fully reopen the city.
The mobile artwork, known as Ways and Means, consists of eight fully wrapped CTA railcars and focuses on “ways forward and the myriad means we use to get there,” according to Chicago-based artist team Nick Cave and Bob Faust, who created and conceived the project.
Each pair of railcars features a colorful train wrap, imprinted with two different words on each side of the railcar that denote inclusion, acceptance and joy. The interior ceiling of each wrapped railcar will also immerse riders in kaleidoscopic pattern created by Faust from Cave’s artwork, as well as the project statement.
The final result is a rolling exhibit that highlights the importance of awareness, connectivity and empathy of the world around us, especially when gathered with others in same shared spaces. During their trips, passengers are encouraged to take selfies, and also look around the dynamic and colorful space they are in and simply take a moment to appreciate their fellow train riders.
The mobile exhibit will run from early June through early July and riders are encouraged to tag any selfies they take with #WaysandMeans.
The collaborative work of artists Cave and Faust can also be seen and experienced at the Garfield Green Line station, which underwent a $43 million rehabilitation completed in 2019. As part of this project, the artists were tasked with visually enhancing architectural features of the stationhouse. Their work, known as Free/Formal, creates an immersive experience through the use of exuberant colors, textures, eccentric imagery and motion. Inspired by Frederick Law Olmsted’s historic design of neighboring Washington Park, the artists’ expression through flowers, vines and birds transforms the station with the lushness of nature.
About the Artists
Nick Cave is an artist, educator and foremost a messenger, working between the visual and performing arts through a wide range of mediums including sculpture, installation, video sound and performance. Nick Cave is well known for his Soundsuits, sculptural forms based on the sale of his body, initially created in response to the police beating of Rodney King in 1991. Soundsuits camouflage the body, masking and creating a second skin that conceals race, gender and class, forcing the viewer to look without judgment. They serve as a visual embodiment of social justice that represents both brutality and empowerment.
Artist Bob Faust is known for creating visual, visceral and contextual art experiences that inform, empower and celebrate human differences. Faust is the principal and creative director for Faust, a cultural branding studio and has been recognized national and internationally for his creativity and clarity through many prestigious exhibitions and publications.
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