Some BART art is freshly installed into the ceiling of the Powell Street station, paying homage to both the architecture of Union Square and the “bubble tiles” of that station’s walls.  

There is all manner of dazzling holiday light displays going up in downtown San Francisco, and the very cheery Winterland Wanderland at Hallidie Plaza got turned up to full blast at the Powell Street BART station today. But one of the most impressive new pieces of art in Union Square is not holiday-themed, and will draw awe all year round. KRON4 reports on a sprawling new, 13-panel illuminated digital art display embedded into the the Powell Street BART station’s ceiling, which was unveiled Tuesday.

It’s called “Elysium,” created by San Francisco artist Stephen Galloway. “Elysium will  serve as the centerpiece of a newly remodeled underground station at  the historic and tourist center of San Francisco,” Galloway says in an artist's statement. “The round backlit  element focuses on iconic architecture adjacent to the site, and  references the unique ‘bubble’ tile that lines the station’s walls. The graphic for the painted surround is based upon the famous Emporium dome in the Westfield building."

BART is certainly tooting their horn over the recently re-bathroomed and renovated Powell Street station. “The changes to the station are hardly subtle,” BART says in their “Elysium” press release. “The station is now brighter, safer, and more welcoming to the thousands of riders who pass through each day. Noticeably, fare gates and ticketing machines have been removed from the center of the concourse and moved to the perimeter, opening up the station and further improving line of sight."

You can read more about the “Powell Street Modernization Program,” in a Facebook post from Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting. But hey, doesn’t it grab your attention more to see that BART holiday sweater on BART general manager Bob Powers?

That sweater was a limited edition that sold out in 40 minutes last year. But hark! There is a new BART holiday sweater for 2022, this one with a somewhat different design that puts reindeer antlers on a BART train. But as of press time for this article, all sizes other than Medium are listed as “Out of stock.”

Related: BART Makes a Big To-Doo Over Finally Reopening the Bathrooms at Powell Street Station [SFist]

Image: via Facebook