Futuristic Map

The new street-level LRT stations along 114 Street change the once-straightforward contours of the roadway. Sharing the road, there is also now a track, as well as the swells and curves of the islands of concrete and landscaping surrounding the stations.

Patrick Jacob’s installation along the pedestrian underpass of McKernan/​Belgravia LRT station, Futuristic Map, takes those new topographies and abstracts them into Art Deco-style conceptualizations of transportation in the 21^st century. The work is meant to represent ​“where we once were and where tomorrow will lead,” as Jacob describes in his artist statement. 

Futuristic Map is a relief sculpture made of layered, laser-cut steel with stylized imagery of a map, as the title suggests. Art Deco is a particularly interesting inspiration point given that the movement coincided with the rise of modernism in the ​‘20s, favouring science, technology and geometry over traditional subjects such as landscape or portraiture. A movement that emphasized futurism over romance or sentimentalism, Art Deco lends some of its characteristic qualities to the material choice and production of this work. The components are made of steel and were constructed using high-tech manufacturing processes that result in bold lines and geometric shapes. 

The industrial feel of the artwork is no coincidence. Jacob worked as a machinist in the oil field for 14 years, and has been practicing as a self-taught artist since 2001.