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Urban Artwork Transforms Everyday City Space into a Lively Plaza

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Invisable Tree. Credit: Artists Daniel Siering and Mario Shu

Huellas Artes, 100architects, Santiago, Chile. In many cases, people perceive the urban environment as boring. Gray streets and static buildings are part of everyday routes to work and home, turning life’s daily adventure into an urban routine. Cities are full of places that go unnoticed and unappreciated. Dealing with such places is a common task for urban designers — and it is not an easy one. How does one revitalize the image of a monotonous urban space?

Urban Artwork

The team of 100 Architects solved this problem by taking an unconventional approach. By means of a temporal, non-built, urban art intervention, their project Huellas Artes transformed the urban routine into a special experience for three days.

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Changing the Landscape Overnight The project took place on the ground level of a circulation space over the Bellas Artes underground metro station in downtown Santiago, Chile. The transformation literally happened overnight, amazing and engaging hurried passersby heading to or coming out of the busy metro station. The architects set up a new, open-space configuration by the simple use of cloth material with a polyethylene surface. Lines, arrows, different colors, and even words and signs were taped to the pavement and walls to break up the everyday monotony. The design is a graphic interpretation of the urban dynamic of the site. Pedestrian flows and uses of the square were highlighted with the colorful material.
Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Seeing the City with Fresh Eyes The result was incredible — the everyday circulation space was transformed into a vibrant public plaza. Suddenly, the urban everyday life became a new experience. The people were encouraged to explore a well-known city space from a new perspective. They were invited to walk, stop, look, meet — activities they performed on a daily basis, yet were perceived differently than usual.
Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Urban Artwork and a  Selfie Wall

The design also accelerated public interaction by adding new uses to the site. Among them were “the spot”, “the meeting point”, and “the selfie wall”. “The spot” was an improvised stage for street artists. The “meeting point” was strategically located at a place with good visibility of the comings and goings from the metro station, allowing people to search for familiar faces in the crowd.

Urban Artwork - Huellas Artes

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Urban Artwork - Huellas Artes

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

“More than 1,000 spontaneous photos were uploaded in less than two days“. The most beloved was the “selfie wall” — a wall covered with playful motifs as background for funny photos. More than 1,000 spontaneous photos were uploaded in less than two days. In this way, the design encouraged virtual social interaction and was witnessed by more people than just those passing by. Related Articles: 

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Designing with People as the Focal Point The project stands out because of its design focus, which is not on streets and buildings, as in most urban projects. Here, the people are the subject of interest, and the city life is placed in the foreground of the “painted scape”, as the designers call this urban intervention. They demonstrate a strong sense of the public space by recognizing its greatest potential for development — the citizens as an essential part of the urban perspective. WATCH: Huellas Artes official Teaser by 100architects


They successfully managed to revitalize the place by initiating activities and turning them into art, whose significance goes beyond mere aesthetics. The project is a living sculpture, consisting of people engaged in their activities. This is a motion design with the primary intention of making people happy with their urban routine.

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Huellas Artes. Photo credit: Ines Subtil ( Subtilography.com )

Huellas Artes is a great showcase of socially driven design. The project lasted for a short time yet lives in the memory of Santiago city. It is a part of 100 Architects’ urban footprint series of work, which will keep on delighting the public into the future. Recommended Reading:

Article by Angelina Georgieva Return to Homepage

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