Trolleybuses of Roma Condesa

One of the buses painted by artist Fumiko Nakashima entitled Doble Vida.

The trolleybuses of Roma Condesa are permanently parked trolleybuses in the Roma and Condesa neighborhoods of Mexico City used for art and other projects. The buses were donated to Mexico by the Japanese government in 2000, with the idea of creating educational centers, but they sat abandoned until 2005, when the “Galería Trolebús” (Trolleybus Gallery) was begun to promote non-traditional art projects. The gallery ceased operations in 2009 due to financial problems, but the buses are still used for art projects.

Origin

The three trolleybuses were part of a group of fourteen that were donated to Mexico by the government of Japan in 2000.[1] The trolleybuses were built between 1964 and 1968 by Mitsubishi as Models 100 and 200 for the Kansai Denryoku company. The two models are distinguished by the number of doors: one and two, respectively.[2] The buses were shipped by cargo boat with the idea of turning them into educational centers, but this never happened. They sat abandoned in various parts of Mexico City, especially in the Cuauhtémoc borough.[1] There are three that remain in use now for art projects, one permanently parked in Colonia Hipódromo by Parque España, one in Colonia Roma next to Plaza Luis Cabrera and one next to Parque México in Colonia Condesa.[2] The trolleybus now by Parque España used to travel through a tunnel between Ogizawa and Kurobe Dam in the Toyama Prefecture as written on the bus sign on the windshield.[2] That line still operates and is known as the Kanden Tunnel Trolleybus.

The vehicles were donated in 2000. Initially they sat abandoned until the Galería Trolebús project.[1]

Galería Trolebús

From 2000 and 2005, the three buses sat abandoned until Ariadna Ramonetti discovered them and worked to create the Galería Trolebús (Trolleybus Gallery) in cooperation with the Cuauhtémoc borough to promote non-traditional art projects.[1][3] Artists who worked with the vehicles from 2005–09 included Karen Cordero, Ana Elena Mallet, Santiago Espinoza de los Monteros and Antonio Calera.[3] Some of the art projects included light and sound.[1]

In 2006, Montiel Klint inhabited the trolleybus at Plaza Luis Cabrera in Colonia Roma, blocked from view for two months with only eight photographs on the outside of the bus for visitors to see. The interior of the bus was covered with about 5,000 paper cups to isolate it from the outside. The work was called the Galeria Experimental de Arte (Experimental Gallery of Art).[4] “Suspended Black” by Víctor Noxpango had one of the trolleybuses elevated on six hydraulic jacks and painted completely black.[5] After artist Israel Meza Moreno created a work called Nido de Malvivientes in 2007 with one of the trolleybuses, the Fundación Jumex commissioned a similar work, which was bought by a private collector and later acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The work consisted of covering the interior of the trolleybus with cardboard pieces on which phrases from young thieves whom the artists had interviewed were written. The windows were covered with newspaper front pages with violent headlines.[3] Alvaro Verduzco’s work was called “Túnel” (Tunnel) in 2009, which used a cone made of cardboard with the bus to create the illusion of infinity.[6]

The gallery ceased operations due to financial difficulties. The various projects that took place during that time drew both praise and criticism from the residents of the various neighborhoods. The art projects were best received in Colonia Roma and least in Colonia Condesa.[3]

Post-Galería

Since then, the three trolleybuses remain in their respective locations. The borough government still allows artists, community members and even advertisers to paint the buses periodically, painting over whatever was there previously. In February 2012, the trolleybus in Colonia Hipódromo was painted by Japanese artist Fumiko Nakashima with her work given the title of “Doble Vida” or “Double Life.”[2] The work was to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Japan earthquake and tsunami, along with a ceremony on March 11, 2012.[7] The work was part of a public art program called Haru ga kita (Spring comes) en México under this artist along with musician Emiliano Isamu. It was sponsored by the Garros Galería in Mexico City, the Fundación Japón México and the Cuauhtémoc borough.[2][8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Artista sonoro "dialoga" con la Galería del Trolebús". Notimex (in Spanish). Mexico City. February 11, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Nava Polina, Joel (March 2012). "Haru ga kita en México. La primavera está llegando al trolebús "Doble Vida"". Tabi Tabi (in Spanish). Mexico City: Toyo Marketing, SA de CV. 3 (80): 56–57.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Sonia Ávila (April 28, 2012). "Revisan la creación desde las banquetas". Excélsior (in Spanish). Mexico City. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  4. ↑ Riveroll, Julieta (February 15, 2006). "Aislan la soledad en trolebus". Reforma (in Spanish). Mexico City. p. 12.
  5. ↑ "Albergará Trolebús/Galería la intervención-video "Suspended Black".". Notimex (in Spanish). Mexico City. January 28, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Presenta Alvaro Verduzco su proyecto "Túnel" en el Trolebús Galería". Notimex (in Spanish). Mexico City. August 5, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  7. ↑ Nava Polina, Joel (April 2012). "Arte public que conmemora un ‘nuevo tipo’ de paz. Tributo en memoria de quienes perdieron su vida". Tabi Tabi (in Spanish). Mexico City: Toyo Marketing, SA de CV. 4 (81): 58–59.
  8. ↑ Ota Minao (March 8, 2012). "私の故郷、ブラシに含浸気持ち。" [My hometown, paintbrush impregnated with feelings]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). p. 12.
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