Project Description

Merge Conceptual Design, the artist team of Franka Diehnelt and Claudia Reisenberger was commissioned to develop color palettes and tile artworks for two stations along the El Monte busway. For the Cal State LA Station the artists devised paint and tile schemes to enliven the bus terminal and pedestrian bridge with an eye-catching fiery crimson palette, while the tile surrounding the two elevator enclosures depicts a pulsating and playful pattern of vibrant red racing through a field of taupe.

Merge Conceptual Design, Overcoat – CSULA

Artist Statement

“Our goal was to transform an imposing structure into a playful array of brightly colored spaces. The color palette was derived from the pedestrian bridge’s original shade of red, while the corresponding tile application around the elevators depicts an intriguing network of red rectilinear patterns.”

About the Artist

MERGE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN is FRANKA DIEHNELT and CLAUDIA REISENBERGER. The Santa Monica based artists have collaborated on design projects for the past ten years in Europe and the United States. Both were formally trained in Vienna, Berlin and Copenhagen in architecture as well as art. The artists have completed public art projects throughout the Los Angeles area, including the entrance canopies for the “Prado on Lake” development, Pasadena. The artists also completed public art projects for two Metro El Monte busway stations.