Located at the LIRR portion of the Atlantic Avenue terminal.
"The design of a railroad station at Brooklyn's busiest transit hub required a structure that is both functional and expressive," said Helena Williams, President of MTA Long Island Rail Road. "The artwork is integrated into the architecture in a way that adds visual interest and drama. Customers are stopping, looking and saying 'Wow' the first time they see the art, the overlook, the grand staircases and the glass atrium."
The artists were commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit, which oversees the installation of permanent public art throughout the MTA's 5,000-square-mile network of subways, buses and commuter trains. The Wexlers, a husband and wife team, proposed using the vocabulary of architectural materials that appear throughout the subway and railroad complex into a two-story sculptural balcony that visually evokes the adventure of travel. Titled "Overlook," the work references scenic overlooks often found in national parks, where travelers are encouraged to pause and take in the larger scene.
Just as the grand clock in Grand Central Terminal, "Overlook" is destined to become a meeting place and local landmark, through which more than 25,000 LIRR passengers and 31,000 NYC Transit riders pass each day. "This vantage point was created as a collaborative effort combining our design that placed the wall between two sweeping stairways and the artists' vision of morphing that structural wall into an outcropping of rocks," said architect John di Domenico.
Allan Wexler commented, "We sought to create the experience of viewing an urban public space as if it were a nature setting, using granite tiles mathematically pixilated to create nooks and crannies similar to those found in rock walls. Our public work seeks to engage the people who use the space, creating a rich experience that resonates over time."
Ellen Wexler said, "We wanted to create a space where one can stop and take in the dynamic energy, which is as exciting as stopping to take in the Grand Canyon or other major vista. Carving out a place for the "experience" of pausing and people watching to happen within this great civic architecture was our particular creative challenge."
