Barbara Takenaga at White Plains Metro North Train Station

Barbara Takenaga’s Forte (Quarropas) and Blue Rails (White Plains) were officially unveiled today at the MTA Metro North's White Plains Station. The mosaic and laminated glass artworks feature Takenaga's signature swirling and detailed abstract compositions. The undulating movement references rail travel, the history of the city, and its exuberant energy.

The mosaic artwork Forte (Quarropas), the native name for White Plains, features a sweeping composition of dynamic sky with flowing blue water, evoking both a celestial majesty and referencing the role water has played throughout the history of White Plains. Located on the wall directly facing the main entrance of the station lobby, the deep sea of blue and splashes of iridescent green to pink and aqua sparkle and come alive following the footsteps of the commuters passing by the lobby wall.

Made of laminated glass, Blue Rails (White Plains), is located on the side platform overlooking the station’s parking lot and Hamilton Avenue, a main artery connecting the city’s downtown. The long horizontal image is composed of a series of mirrored abstract patterns in a forward and backward movement in space. Each composition is anchored by the radiating light from a misty horizon, suggesting the disappearing tracks as one moves away from the station. Animated by shifting light throughout the day, Blue Rails (White Plains) is a visual play to the “rhythm of the rails”.

Barbara Takenaga stated, “White Plains has a rich and diverse past, from its modern history tracing way back to the presence of Native Americans. The translation of the wonderful Weckquaeskeck name Quarropas, meaning ‘white marshes’ or ‘plains of white,’ still continues today in a very resonant way. I am interested in the poetry and imagined references to landscape — filtered through my working process, which is visually abstract and stylized, and at the same time pays homage to the City of water and white mists.”

Forte (Quarropas) mosaic artwork is fabricated by Mosaika Art and Design. Blue Rails (White Plains) laminated glass is fabricated by Meyer of Munich. 

Photos: Steve Bates.