Christian French is an emerging talent who brings innovative thinking and a new approach to understanding the world around us. At Sound Transit, he thoughtfully examined what it means to build and use public transportation. He looked at how it might make a difference in our lives now and in the future. Though he introduced a wealth of opportunities for cultural connections, two major projects in particular emerged from his experiences as an STartist.
Stellar Connections - Pictograms for Link light rail
Pictograms are wayfinding tools that create a unique graphical identifier for a location. Pictograms help people - especially those who don't read or write English to easily identify Link light rail stations.
Christian identified points of interest in the community surrounding each station, then connected the points that drew out the constellation that became the image for each station. These pictograms will be used on station signs, maps and brochures.
Learn more about Stellar Connections (pdf 1.1mb) >>>
TransitMan - Personal Project of the Artist
During his time as Sound Transit's Artist in Residence, Christian analyzed the connected roles of transit and the rider, exploring what it means to ride public transportation. Coupled with the belief that individuals can make a difference in their world through simple acts, he created TransitMan, an every-man super hero whose mission is to save the world by taking transit. Documented through photography, illustrations, video and collectibles, TransitMan provides the inspiring message that we all have some power to effect change. TransitMan challenges us to evaluate how we contribute to a better society; what's our superpower and what are we willing to do with it?
Visit www.transitman.org for more.
TransitMan: the video
Missed the TransitMan exhibit at SOIL Gallery? This short will get you caught up on the project, TransitMan's mission, and may even inspire you to find your superpower.
