Visible vibes installed at the Damen CTA Blue Line station

Soundtrack, an audio/visual art installation is now showing the vibe of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Damen Blue Line station and its surroundings on the underside of the north platform. 

The LED color panels under the Damen tracks create patterns of light, activated by sound as well as vibrations caused by moving trains, cars and riders walking along the station platform. Sensors “read” the vibrations and translate them into the lighted patterns. 

Created by Benjamin Ball and Gaston Nogues of Los Angeles, CA, the new one-of-a-kind artwork at the station serves as the finishing touch to the major station renovation in 2014.  Of the  $492 million Your New Blue (YNB) O’Hare branch modernization project, $13.6 million went toward the Damen stationhouse and platform rehabilitation. This new installation is part of the Mayor's public art initiative for CTA bus and rail facilities across the City. 

“By incorporating creative artwork into our CTA stations, we are elevating the experience of Chicago’s world-class transit system,” Mayor Emanuel said. “This new installation reflects the neighborhood’s vibrancy and creative spirit and is a fitting finish to this historic station modernization.” 

“Artwork at CTA stations is intended to be reflective of the communities they serve, and the new artwork at Damen literally captures the vibe of this lively community,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said. “The addition of this impressive, interactive artwork to CTA’s permanent collection of public art is truly exciting, and I encourage Chicagoans to come see and experience this living artwork for themselves.” 

CTA’s collection of public art has nearly doubled since 2011 to nearly 70 works of art across all eight rail lines. It includes mosaics, art glass and sculptures created by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, many of whom are local. Over the next few years, CTA’s public art collection will further expand to include an additional nine new works of art. 

Ball-Nogues Studio
An integrated design and fabrication practice, the Studio operates at the intersection of architecture, art and industrial design, according to the CTA's information. 

Encouraging the public to more actively engage their surroundings, they have completed more than 30 commissions for permanent or temporary artworks including Los Angeles International Airport, Coachella Valley Music Festival, and have exhibited at the Venice Biennale; Museum of Modern Art ; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Museum of Contemporary, Los Angeles and  Los Angeles County Museum of Art. 

Ball-Nogues Studio has received numerous honors including three American Institute of Architects Design Awards, United States Artists Target Fellowships and a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. In 2007, the Studio was the winner of the Museum of Modern Art PS1 Young Architects Program Competition. 

Historic Blue Line Station
With a 50-year franchise license from the City of Chicago, the Metropolitan West Side Elevated Railroad, the third elevated line in the City, opened on May 6, 1895. 

By the end of 1895, the line extended to Logan Square. 

The Humboldt Park Branch extension started at Damen and ended at Humboldt Park. On Nov. 11, 1902, a new station was created at the Park. The only extension to that line, it was "created in response to residents' complaints that the other stops, two blocks away, were too far away."* 

*from Wicker Park From 1673 Thru 1929 and Walking Tour Guide