SURREY — A giant mural should make Surrey Central Skytrain station a lot nicer to look at during renovation work scheduled to start this fall.
In a public call, artists are asked to create a temporary vinyl “wrap” that represents the theme of “Connecting people, connecting places.”
The creator of the winning design will earn $5,000, and each shortlisted artist will receive $500 for their time.
The station will undergo renovations to increase capacity and improve station accessibility in a construction project expected to last 18 months.
“The mural is intended to improve the experience of Surrey Central Station while it is under construction,” says a call to artists.
The deadline for expressions of interest is June 29, and an information meeting is planned for 3 p.m. Saturday, June 18 at City Centre Library.
CLICK HERE for meeting details and to read the full Public Call to Artists for Expressions of Interest.
“The expectation is the mural will be mounted on ground-level construction hoarding or elevated site trailers along City Parkway,” according to guidelines.
“The minimum length of the mural will be 32 feet and the maximum length of the mural will be the length of the hoarding on City Parkway (likely up to 80 feet). The height of the mural will be determined by the height of the hoarding/site trailers, but is expected to be 8-12 feet.”
The proposed expansion aims to “modernize” the station and make it more safe and accessible.
A new two-storey station house is part of the plan, which totals nearly 10,000 square feet, and is set to include exposed wood, metal panelling and accent colours in a bright green to “infuse warmth” into the station, according to a Now news story in December 2015.
Meanwhile, several examples of public art will be unveiled in Surrey this month.
New to the lobby at Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre is “Four Seasons,” featuring four 30-inch buffalo-hide drums, by Brandon Gabriel and and Melinda Bige.
At the new Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre in South Surrey, “Circulation” has been created by Pierre Sasseville and Jean-François Cooke.
“‘Circulation’ is a two-part sculpture featuring deer that references the dual purpose of the new Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre,” according to a post at Surrey.ca. “Situated near the shallow end, a giant bronze fawn drinks from a fountain, representing the recreational side of the pool. Near the deep end, 6 deer confront each other, symbolizing the competitions that will take place at this 10-lane, Olympic size pool with world-class diving facilities.”
The city’s operations centre at 6651 148th St. is home to “Sign of Signs,” crafted by Alan Storey. The wind-driven kinetic sculpture depicts “the transformation of a Surrey landscape through three spliced photographs spanning 80 years.”
Elsewhere, Susan Point’s “Water Guardians,” which resembles a giant red umbrella, will be unveiled at the new Hazelgrove Park, in the East Clayton area, on June 25.