A railway station in Australia has unveiled an extraordinary piece of art featuring treads and combs from old wooden escalators.
Hoisted from the ceiling at the entrance to Wynyard station, Sydney, Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) commissioned the spectacular artwork as a nod to the station’s heritage following major upgrades.
With new escalators replacing the four historic ones – believed to be among the last of their kind in the world – 244 treads and 4 combs were kept aside and transformed into something quite out of the ordinary.
The piece, titled ‘Interloop’, was created by artist Chris Fox and has since attracted attention from media outlets from across the world.
TfNSW transport coordinator Marg Prendergast said: “While the new modern escalators at Wynyard Station are safer, more reliable and reduce the cost of maintenance, it was important to recognise the heritage status of Railway House and the York Street lobby as well as the iconic wooden escalators which were among the last of their kind in the world.”
Station upgrades also included the widening of the concourse, increased station capacity from 100,000 to 150,000 people per day, improved accessibility with new lifts as well as the new escalators, better facilities and amenities, improved pedestrian flows and more ticket gates.
Watch a timelapse video showing the installation of the artwork below:
Read more: The beautiful (and bizarre) world of railway station art