REBECA MENDEZ INAUGURATES WORK ON THE NEW SOUTH LA CRENSHAW CORRIDOR K LINE 10/7/22
Just hitting the magazine stands today. Check out the Metro Art x Flaunt Magazine collab editorial, A TAP CARD TO THE FUTURE | EMBRACING SOUTH LA’S NEW CRENSHAW CORRIDOR K LINE VIA ART, COMMUNITY, AND A TOUCH OF FASHION, is out!
The work of another commissioned artist, Rebeca Méndez, echoes the Metro K Line mission of inclusion and finding common ground. Méndez shares that as she was seeking out inspiration for her artwork within the Expo/Crenshaw Station, she similarly found herself looking outside the confines of the underground stop—well, she found herself looking up, to be exact. Once exiting each station, Méndez felt drawn to the sky, seeking comfort in the idea that all subway riders could find commonality in being under the same atmosphere.
“No matter how idiosyncratic our neighborhoods are, we share something in common,” says Méndez. The artist explored this idea further; she camped outside on her rooftop, gazing and photographing thousands of shots of the ever-changing sky—what she calls an “emotional timepiece”—researching meanings behind times and dates, immersing herself to fully grasp the intricacies behind our atmosphere. “The more you start looking at the sky,” the artist shares, “the more you start actually seeing the complexity of the multiple kinds of clouds that we get. All of that diversity was there. So it became a metaphor for the diversity of the people in Los Angeles. It is constantly changing, and it’s constantly becoming other.”
Méndez’ process came to life as she strung together atmospheric slices at 15-minute intervals to create a 24-hour time-lapse from morning to night—a translucent blue and white mosaic entitled At the Same Time. To supplement the panoramic piece within the station, a second mosaic invites riders to find similitude with another commuter—the Arctic Tern, the longest distance traveling bird in the world. Méndez offers riders a view of celestial sunbeams against a wing of the special creature.
The voices of the Crenshaw community, the people that make up these neighborhoods, have been conjured in these artworks. As the backbone of the the K Line project, this major project not only opens the door to a multitude of urban opportunities, but re-conceptualizes the once colorless experience of riding the metro. Metro acknowledges this is a complex place of movement and purpose—not a museum. These artworks represent the people that make it special, as well as history. They also offer something new each time someone passes, even if it’s only a mere glance while running to catch the next train.