The commuters of inner Sydney rode them every day for eight decades, and although showing some signs of wear, the wooden escalators of Wynyard Station aren't done just yet. Repurposed as a twisting installation by local artist Chris Fox, the heritage timber structures now hang from the ceiling as spectacular heritage-inspired artwork.
Wynyard Station's four wooden escalators were first installed in 1931 and were finally replaced earlier this year after their wide wooden treads claimed a few too many high heels, guide dog paws and even the odd skirt or two. It was one of only a handful of wooden escalators left in the world.
Fox salvaged some of the treads, 244 in total, and contorted them into a 50-meter-long (164 ft), five-ton-plus suspended sculpture. Called Interloop, he says the work is designed to pay homage to the past with its vintage timber while looking to the future with its funky design, all the while referencing the back-and-forth nature of commuting through its looping form.
That's a nice touch for the folks of Sydney, with one of the city's busiest train stations now featuring an awesome tribute to an iconic slice of its transportation history. And we're sure it'll be a conversation starter for visitors too. Click through to the gallery to see Interloop from all angles.
Source: Chris Fox
Yet for all this extra capacity to take passengers, they have built no extra railway platforms! The one thing out of the past that needed to change, that had to change - hasn't! Thousands of people will still try to cram onto the four narrow-gutted platforms! What a waste of a billion dollars!
And then, to cap it off, rather than try to RESTORE the York Street wooden escalator to give some semblance of the past, some 'historical committee' allowed its 5-ton entrails to be hung over unsuspecting travellers. What about public safety in the event of an earth tremor?
PLEASE, if you are going to kill history, let the past quietly die. DON'T try to resurrect it in the name of being 'trendy'.