Subway. Work. Bed. Bed. Work. Subway… What’s a pitiful routine ! We can’t change anything about word and bed, but let’s try to see things differently about the subway. Thousands of people take the subway everyday, robots… In our society, where human beings are more and more individualistic, we just need to open our eyes. Let’s have an immersion.
In Toulouse, if we take a proper look, the subway is a mine of beautiful little things. They are hidden to those in a hurry, but really visible to those who know where to watch. If you take your time, you will be rewarded by the talent of several artists, who signed their pieces of art in the subway. Monday morning, 7 a.m., headphones on, ending the ride at the Carmes’s subway station. Up on the escalator and finally, your head in the stars. If you take time to look up, you will see an amazing Milky Way. No, it’s not a dirty black stain on the ceiling, but a piece of art, signed by Jean-Paul Marcheschi. Every day, Stephanie passes here, and before today, she had never taken time to really watch. For this 39 years old teacher : « It’s funny, because I feel like I have just discovered it. I walk on the bottom everyday, but I think I had never really payed attention, as if it was part of the set ! ». All these pieces of art are meticulously elaborated to melt into the urban environment, and it’s one of the reasons why they are almost invisible. However, some people are most attentive than others : « I take the metro everyday of the week, four times a day and in every station, there are pieces of art » reveals Adrien. He’s a 19 years old junior high and he’s been living in Toulouse for several years, He has his own idea about the meaning of art in the city :« It’s a very good initiative to brighten up our subway and make people wonder ».
Originality and creativity for all
Triangles on the walls, balloons in the air, lighting board running on the ceiling, Toulouse’s subway is a perfect example of imagination and creativity. After a quick walk underneath the Milky Way, let’s go to the station called : “Faculté de Pharmacie” to take a look at a different kind of art. As we approach the surface, the eye is immediately attracted by many colored spheres. Stuck on a white wall, they give an impression of levitation. This is an optical effect, the work of Didier Mencoboni, another artist who exhibits in the subway. Blue, green, yellow or red, Alice, a 22 years old student in Paul Sabatier’s university, is seduced by the concept: « When there is a lot of sun outside, you can see the light reflecting into the balls, it then reflects the light everywhere in the station. It’s beautiful ». Between modern art and realism, each person is free to see those works in their own eyes. So take your time on our next trip in the metro, to look at all these pieces of art because there are many of them, 48 exactly according Tisséo. Will you able to find them all ?
