Rapid Central Station- 3 Postcards

These postcards were created as an exercise as part of the Digital Creativity class. I chose to illustrate Grand Rapid's Central Bus Station because it is a place that is incredibly interesting in its natural and man-made elements in play, as well as the variety of people that I meet when I ride the bus. My Artist Statement appears at the bottom of this post.

 

 

Artist Statement

            I am a commuter.  Riding the bus has been a part of my everyday life.  I feel like I know the rhythms of Grand Rapids Central Bus Station by heart.  That is what I wanted to convey in my series of postcards, the different and varied rhythms that I see everyday.  Using the artistic strategies that we talked about in class and reviewing the artists’ work that we used as reference for technical and conceptual ideas, I tried to create in my images small narratives, subtle and overt.

            In the first postcard, I used the Central Stations Bus platform as my environment.  This area is visually interesting because it combines natural and manmade elements.  The canopy structures particularly illustrate this combination; they are made of concrete steel bars and wrapped with hanging vines. As I observe these structures, I see the symbiotic relationships happening within them.  These canopies serve as shelter for the birds, the steel bars help the plants to grow, and the natural vines are a bright and soothing way to deliver shade to passengers.  I tried to limit the colors in this piece, the green and orange color scheme is meant to convey a warm feeling.  The carpet of marigolds makes the scene seem otherworldly and whimsical.  I also played with repetition and scale, the marigolds in the foreground comically large.  I wanted to achieve a sense of odd respite, to create and environment that feels real and imagined at the same time.

            In the second postcard, I wanted to create an eerie sense of space and of time.  I played a lot with the structure and look of the bus.  It is meant to look foreboding with its dark colors and dilapidated exterior.  The rusted awning was achieved using layer masks.  Modification was the primary strategy that I employed in this postcard design.  I added lampposts and a heavy wooden door to suggest a different time period, and patterns and textures came into play a lot. I wanted to convey the unglamorous aspects of being a commuter, the scary reality that when you enter the bus, you are often entering the unknown. 

            The third postcard utilizes isolation and hybridization  The wings and the hot air balloons function as metaphors for “uplifting individuals,” and for giving individuals who don’t have freedom the freedom to get around by taking the bus.  I wanted to remove the bus from its usual state on the ground and put it into the clouds to show that riding the bus is a little bit like being “above the world” in a sense, when you are surrounded by tinted glass and steel and looking down on everyone on the street.  As a commuter, this is the rhythm of the bus that I experience most often, the contemplative and meditative atmosphere of just riding along.  

            This series of postcards is meant to be a kind of narrative, highlighting the highs and lows of riding The Rapid.  At times Central Station functions as a sanctuary for diverse peoples, inviting you to observe closely, as in the first postcard.  At other times, it can be a dangerous place because of the unknown. However, most of the time I am uplifted and encouraged when I take the bus because of all the interesting people and places that I come into to contact with when I sit back and enjoy the ride.