Recently, Churchgate station got a bit of a makeover by design agency, Wallcano. In collaboration with Child Relief and You (CRY), they created thoughtful designs on the inside of Churchgate station. Through minimalist design and strong messages, the team created a new experience for the tons of people that travel through Churchgate Station in Mumbai.
It’s a perfect example of great Indian design. Churchgate station is a great leveller in the city of Mumbai. It sees people from all strata of society pass through its walls and gates daily. It also sees plenty of travellers from around the world use the trains from the station to travel within the city. A lot of the people who come through the station do it primarily to get to work in various corporate houses around the area. Seeing these messages and being reminded that their education made their life possible should inspire them to improve a child’s life.
This kind of communication displays Wallcano’s understanding of the ways that we visually consume our surroundings. There’s a cleverness here that plays with relatable imagery and negative space equally well. It’s a lot of work to strike that kind of balance.
Making the station bright and the designs large enough to be clear to everyone passing by required backbreaking effort and we are sure that many people, us included, are more than pleased at these insightful designs. It’s amazes us to think about the fact they created art that is seen by and connects to lakhs of people every day.
The bright and varying colours on the pillars, at a glance, remind us of the vibrancy of India but look closer and then the message reveals itself. That’s what we love about this work. It’s worth a second look. It seems like more cities are embracing thoughtful art in public spaces and we appreciate good design daily so seeing this makes us confident that good designs still find places to thrive.
Once again, thank you, Wallcano. It’s a great experience and if you want to check out their work on IndieFolio, click here.
For those who didn’t catch our agency preview of Wallcano over here, they are a design agency specialising in murals, wall designs and graffiti. Started by two wall-rounders in 2009, Wallcano now comprises of around 15 people who are sculpture designers, display artists, illustrators, art directors, mural artists, interior designers, etc.