This idea simply started with a vision of a garden attached to a train. I pictured a
typical cargo train crossing an intersection through a small town. While cars sit there
waiting for the signals to turn and the train to pass, along would come a mobile garden.
With a visit to the Smart House at the Museum of Science and Industry I was inspired
by the rooftop garden of indigenous plants to the Illinois area. Low water and low
maintenance could equal a breath of fresh air and a new way of looking at
transportation. This thought translated to an idea that I could design a sustainable future
by creating an artwork that would inspire others to look at transportation in a new way.
This incorporates my belief that real change comes from flexible equations and
processes. The problem with how we got where we are today is coming up with an idea
and sticking with it for as long as lazily possible. The garden would serve as a such an
equation.
With this in mind I realized that I would be dealing largely with people whose
main concerns would be budgets, and safety first. My assumptions turned out correct. I
phrased my problem statement as follows:
I will improve the ridership's perception of the CTA by designing a mobile
garden for the Green Line. This garden will be accented by small static gardens
at each stop of the Green Line and a small advertising campaign aimed at the
CTA's commitment to their mission:
• We deliver quality, affordable transit services that link people,
jobs and communities. http://yourcta.com/welcome/overview.html
As an artist in Chicago I see an opportunity for the CTA to improve the image of
their mission, and as a rider of public transit another opportunity to enhance the
quality of life of it's riders. The purpose of this is to establish a connection with
the CTA and it's ridership to show it's commitment to the quality of riding the CTA.
I want to know what level of commitment the CTA is willing to uphold to show that
it cares about the quality. By knowing this I can better create a sustainable
mobile garden and surrounding accent gardens to support the CTA's mission of
ensuring quality for it's riders. The CTA is a great organization that provides
transportation to millions of riders every month. One thing the CTA can not
control is the quality of air and the perception of the city at it's stations where
riders wait to go to and from their travels.
I recently ran across a photo online of a CTA sponsored train that was
decorated for the Christmas holiday. After doing a photo and video search on
Google, I found many samples of how successful this project was/is. Many
tourists and regular riders were excited about riding the CTA, excited about
seeing something other than the ordinary come by in the evening on their way to
a class, or the third shift or on their way back from downtown shopping.
What’s next? My plan is to continue to research the needs of public safety and to
develop partnerships with experts in the field to learn from their experience and
knowledge as well as to foster relationships outside of the university setting for the
enhancement of this and future projects. I have made initial conversations with the CTA
and have started ones with GreenGrid. I would also like to consider other train
companies and public transportation providers in other states and countries. This
project could serve as a testing ground for organizational needs.
I will also continue to exploit my research and initial renderings to build a community and like people interested in this idea by creating social networks and
promoting the imagery on sites like flickr, myspace and facebook [ more information ]

AD 502 - Seminar In Contemp Theory, Prof. Doris Wells-Papanek