billed as the world's largest mobile art exhibit, art on track is truly one of the most unique displays of art one can experience. the brain child of chicago artist's coalition salvo, director tristan hummel and a band of chicago's finest artists transform an eight-car cta train into a moving gallery of art that collides with the mundane mind set of the mass transit commuter. the train is then piloted around chicago's loop for a few hours on a saturday night.
static art-- oils, water color, and acrylics adorn the interior of cars curated by such organizations as the flat iron artists association, while other cars are converted into complete interactive environments by such co-ops as quennect4. there is also a variety of live entertainment. last year the upright bass player from one of the ensembles had to bungie cord himself to a pole in order to stabilize himself from the sway of the train!
in my mind, the uniqueness of this exhibit can be seen in two perspectives-- that of the viewer and that of the artist.
it is interesting observing new arrivals on the train and how they engage the experience. at first they stand, attached to a pole or a seat rail and stare rather blankly around the car. the familiarity of boarding and riding the train causes the viewer to be a commuter detached from the reality of being in an art gallery. after a few stops and transfers to adjacent cars (galleries), the viewer becomes comfortable and starts to meander through the cars taking in art. the commuter is transformed into an art spectator. soon each car has been surveyed and the fun begins. the train stops and spectators start dashing up and down the platforms, frantically trying get to their favorite cars before the familiar bong bong sounds and the doors close. it is quite a site!
the artist's perspective is that of challenge. all art and installations must be designed to be portable, must be installed and uninstalled in a most expedient manner and must be able to endure the rigors of train travel. as it is rather difficult to measure the dimensions of a moving train car, especially at rush hour, the allocation of space remains largely unsurveyed as well. certainly not common matters in a typical art show.
these complimentary perspectives offer both artist and spectator a most novel experience. art on track commences its third annual run saturday, august 07 and will run from 5 to 10 pm, with boarding at the adams and wabash cta platform. tickets are available for pre-purchase at ticketleap.com
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