Verónica Posada

W1570043
Tod Hanson.TheHanson. The Elliptical Switchback. Haggerston
Commissioned work
Module: Curating Contemporary Art
Prof. Angela Kingston
Feb. 2016

UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER

London

The Elliptical Switchback is a work of art made by Tod Hanson (1963) and commissioned by
The London Overground through the agency Modus Operandi. In the words of the artist this
was a particular case, due to the direct approach to his work instead of the usual process of a Commented [SP1]: Se usan comillas? Para el
commissioned work, that involves taking into account other artists and then based on their comentario del artisat? NO sé normalmente para eso se
proposals, the agency decidesd who is going to be doing the project. usa cursiva y comillas, pero no sé como es allá o en
maestrías.
Hanson’s work is usually based on the space where the piece will be installed. So, in this case
he researched the context of Haggerston station, located in Shoreditch, East London. This
Aarea is known for being a great center of creative industries. Tod found a particular character,
who used to live around there: Edmond Halley (1956 -1742), who was a Royal Astronomer, Commented [SP2]: Opino que eso sobra. Ya están las
well-known for discovering the sequence of orbit of a certain comet, named after him: Halley’s fechas.
cometHalley’s Comet, which is going to pass by again in 2061. He travelled around Africa and
America studying, to finally come up with the theory of magnetism.

These vestiges of information, became the subject-matter for Hanson, who was really attracted
to the idea of making a piece that depicted movement, traces and routes, related to Halley’s
theories, as well as to the commuting that takes place in the station everyday.
In the middle of the artwork we can find a diamond floating that makes the illusion of something
alive. At first the artist was invited to work in mosaic due to the materiality of the space.
However, after some optical studies he decided that it was better to work with tile, to generate
an optical illusion of an atmosphere within another, he also wanted to generate a visual game
with the light that came across the windows on one side of the station. If one looked closely at
the tiles, some dots can be seen as part of the shadows, and this creates an effect of action,
of time passing by.

The artwork has given an identity to Haggerston station; the colours are extremely accurate
for the walls of the station. As the artist said: “It makes an eco with the space”. The TFL workers
said that they feel motivated with the new space.

Tod Hanson is mainly known for his approaches to public space. He has experience working
with Modus Operandi in a variety of installation such as: Balham Station Bridge 2015, Balham
High Street 2015. Also he has been in different residencies and inside exhibitions such as:
Jerwood, Allenhead Contemporary Arts, Globe City Gallery New Castle, Hasting Museum &
art gallery, River Trust London and more.

More information visit:

http://todhanson.com/