One of the outstanding features of the new Rea Vaya BRT stations is that each one boasts an original art work.

JOBURG'S new Bus Rapid Transit stations are a striking feature of the City’s changing landscape. The stations are visually bold and exciting, and are also highly functional.

One of the outstanding features of the new stations is that each one boasts an original art work. Inspired by examples from around the world, the City decided to commission artists to create new works for each station. The artists are drawn from across the spectrum of the City’s artistic communities.

The art has a sense of the people and the place

The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) commissioned the artworks in partnership with the City’s department of Arts, Culture and Heritage.

The artworks programme was managed and implemented by a consortium consisting of The Trinity Session, Turkis and Urban Works.

“The brief to the artists was to create a unique experience at each station, while simultaneously aiming for coherence, as each station forms part of a larger system. Most importantly we wanted to reflect the street life of the City, and to reflect our cultural heritage. We want people to recognize their own stories in these artworks.” says Lael Bethlehem, the CEO of the JDA.

The final designs selected for the stations celebrate the City’s unique urban environment; its people; architectural features; colours; shapes; textures and diversity.

“The artworks programme was not merely an attempt to beautify the stations, but to create something of worth embedded in the very structure of the stations that would engage and pay tribute to those who use it on a daily basis,” says Bethlehem.