aaron asis develops installation in philadelphia's 30th st. station

constructed in 1933, 30th street station in philadelphia, originally known as pennsylvania station, was designed to show a balance between classical and modern architecture. today, 30th street station is one of the busiest intercity passenger trains in the united states. in anticipation of pope francis’ arrival in philadelphia, brooklyn-based artist aaron asis was tasked to develop two site-specific installations, entitled, ‘in/out station’, to encourage commuters and visitors to appreciate the spatial qualities and historic features of several of the stations most under-utilized spaces.

20,000 feet of cord in tension were woven between the existing architectural details
all images courtesy of aaron asis

in the north waiting room, the interior installation features 20,000 feet of cord in tension woven between existing architectural details and new timber anchor points. these elements combine to highlight the subtle geometric relationships throughout the room. beneath these cords, 15 tons of railroad-inspired seating elements stabilize vertical timber posts and demarcate a central zone, for circulation and interaction. additional timber seating areas provide locations for waiting, situated to highlight the historic spirit of transportation by karl bitter, and temporary video installation by cory j. popp.

railroad-inspired seating elements stabilize vertical timber posts and demarcate the circulation and interaction zone

at the outdoor base of the station’s three visible façades, the exterior installation features an additional 15,000 feet of cord tethered beneath the perimeter scaffolding. each cord-created canopy reinforces elements of the interior installation and references the oxidized copper details of an exterior railroad environment. these suspended arcades celebrate a constructed sense of outdoor enclosure and visually activates the obstructed threshold between the station’s interior and exterior environments.

the installation invites the commuters and visitors to appreciate the qualities and historic features of the station

for one-month, ‘in/out station’ invites commuters and station visitors to visually explore the interior and exterior nuances of 30th street station, via a collection of corded connections, salvaged deadfall timbers, and railroad inspired details.

the converging cords in tension create a subtle composition