We would like to present to you a series of photographs documenting Creative Railway, a special project held in conjunction with Yokohama Triennale 2020, launched in late September and concluding on the same day as the Triennale. The project was an attempt to transform the Minatomirai metro line and its surrounding neighbourhoods, not only demonstrating how art can reinvigorate the cityscape, but also exploring the possibilities of future commuting for both citizens and travellers.
The metro line was set in motion in 2004 and runs from Yokohama Station to Yokohama Chinatown. Each station building was infused with a different concept designed to reflect the rich history and vibrant characters of the city of Yokohama. At Shin-Takashima Station, designed around the motifs of “sea” and “future,” one could also find BankART Station, a cultural centre bringing together a gallery space, bookshop, and café. During the same period, it exhibited works by the Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata1. Further south at Bashamichi Station, visitors could also encounter BankART Temporary, a space housed inside a historical bank building constructed in 1929 and repurposed into a contemporary art venue — another example of how the old fuses with the new, joining past and future.
Regardless of where you live, the metro has probably become an indispensable part of everyday life. Because it has always been there, it has almost become invisible, taken for granted. Most train rides are probably boring and mundane to many commuters, and on some days, you are considered lucky if you can even find a seat, or even space to breathe inside the carriage. For many, this transportation system is merely another form of transportation. A project like Creative Railway exists to inspire, presenting commuters with a different perspective by staging cheerful scenarios within an environment we have grown insensitive to. It invites you to look again, hoping your rides become more than just a means of getting from one destination to another. At the same time, it presents itself as a reminder that beneath this tangled network, we are all, in fact, intimately and intricately connected.
