Project Overview
Trolley Stop at Cleveland & Madison | Madison Avenue Trolley
The overall conceptual goal for this piece is to recognize the cultural diversity of the surrounding neighborhood and to celebrate MATA’s presence in the area. The neighborhood has a strong Vietnamese presence, as well as African-American, Jewish, Mexican, Cuban and Bosnian communities, which is represented in abstract designs that are inspired by the MATA logo and the artwork of each culture.
“The tiles represent the many cultures that have previously and currently inhabit the surrounding neighborhood.”
Designs and tiles created by artist Claudio Perez-Leon are embedded into the concrete. The platform consists of 5 main sections with stamped concrete or tiles and bordered with brick. The two outermost sections have a design stamped into the concrete. The designs are mandalas, which are geometric designs symbolic of the universe which were used for meditation in several cultures, and they act as a welcome visual distraction to trolley riders who are waiting for their ride. The next two sections, which contain the benches, are imbedded with tiles representing the many cultures that have been or are currently present within the surrounding neighborhood including Vietnamese, American, Jewish, Bosnian, Mexican, North African, and Egyptian, among others. These tiles circle the benches and have a pattern sandblasted into them. The main central area includes eighteen 36” square sandblasted tiles which have symbols representative to the previously mentioned cultures. These symbols are made up of combinations of the current MATA logo.
In addition to the flooring and tiles, Perez-Leon proposed an enhancement to the canopy, including a backlit ornamental sign and several corners and top attachments on the roof inspired by Vietnamese structures.
About the Artist
Claudio Perez-Leon
Artist Claudio Perez-Leon is a prolific designer and artist living in Miami, FL. He is also the President of Art Impact, an art fabrication company that produces projects for public, commercial, institutional, and corporate settings.
