Art Installations Along the R-Line
Ready to ride the Light Rail through the heart of Aurora? RTD’s R Line is now running along I-225 through Aurora and connecting with the A-Line to the airport. There are eight new stations, and each features commissioned works of art that reflect the general theme of “Light, Color and Motion”, uniquely interpreted by each artist, but all representative of the diversity of people, culture and ideas that make up Aurora.
The windscreens surrounding the waiting passenger benches at each station are a fascinating example of this. Artist George Bates created 24 vibrantly colored works of hand painted glass, specially treated to resist vandalism and breakage. His series is entitled “Omnes Aurora, Omnes Mundi, Omnia Movens”, which translates to “All Aurora, All the World, All Moving”. At every station, you will appreciate noticing something new and different each time you look. Bold profiles of people are created from smaller images of people and animals, reminding us that Aurora has been shaped by and continues to evolve because of its people and its natural history.
“Our Community Dance” is a mural and sound filled pedestrian bridge over I-225 at the Florida station. The glass walls are covered with rainbow-colored speckles, which reflect the light and create beautiful patterns on the floor of the bridge. Images of people dancing and playing instruments and animals in their natural environments are enhanced by music and animal sounds. It’s incredibly joyful to walk over this bridge filled with constantly changing patterns of light and music.
Koryn Ralstad also created “Prairie Lights and Color” at the Fitzsimmons Station. This installation features 158 separate sculptural elements representing the grasses and trees of the plains. Again, the dynamic colors catch and reflect the sunlight and produce ever-changing patterns of shifting colors on the platform.
At the Colfax Avenue Bridge, artist Joe O’Connell created suspended sculptures of laser-cut steel and LED lights. His work is called “Stories Interweave”. Sayings in different languages are cut into the steel “lanterns” and they can be read in multiple ways. The intermixing of languages and cultures is such a great representation of the city of Aurora.