Purple Line

Bethesda Station, MD USA

Similar to the cherry blossoms, thousands of commuters will spend fleeting moments within the station at Bethesda. Whether on their way to work and school, or to see friends and family, people will pass through the metro station in finite windows of time. Much like the cherry blossom’s bloom, the commuter’s transition through the station is short. Atelier Manferdini’s proposal, Bloom, helps recreate that time of year where the city is filled with cherry blossoms to give people an opportunity to pause. Regardless of being brief, it will help transport the viewer to the onset of spring every time they pass through the station. 

The art will act as a scaled up moiré (slit) animation that can be viewed from the train platform. Typically, this animation technique is achieved when a series of repeated slits are moved over a stationary back image, causing the image to come to life. In our proposal however, we keep both of these layers stationary, but allow the viewer to move. As they walk down the platform or view the art from the train, the images will begin to animate and the blossoms will bloom.