First Of Ten Public Artworks Installed For Central Subway

The SFMTA, working with the San Francisco Arts Commission is excited to announce that the first of ten permanent public artworks for the Central Subway Public Art Program has been installed. Microcosmic, by Bay Area-based artist Moto Ohtake, is a wind-activated kinetic sculpture mounted on a 40-foot light pole at the 4th and Brannan Street Platform Station, right before the train goes underground.

Fabricated from stainless steel, the sculpture measures approximately 15 feet by 15 feet by 3 feet when stretched to its full capacity. The sculpture’s wings move in gyroscopic circular motions and are angled differently to create opposing rotations under the same wind conditions, allowing viewers to experience an infinite number of combinations in response to changes in weather patterns. The movements will be contemplative at times, and more dynamic and energetic at others based on the wind. Ohtake’s Microcosmic, is also a culmination of a series of pole-mounted artworks along the above-ground stations on the T-Third Street Light Rail installed in 2006.

Born in Tokyo, Japan, Mr. Ohtake received his MFA in sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. His artwork can be seen in the public collections of Santa Cruz and Stockton, at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Dublin, Ireland and Tokyo, Japan. Mr. Ohtake is currently an instructor of sculpture and 3-D design at de Anza College in Cupertino, California.

The artworks for the Central Subway Public Art Program were commissioned through the City’s 2 percent-for-art program, a 50-year-old program that ensures that exceptional public artwork is integrated into publicly funded capital projects. For a full list of the artworks for the Central Subway Project visit the San Francisco Arts Commission webpage.