Liège-Guillemins train station turned into living art

In a stunning work of art that involves the presence of coloured rectangles on the station’s glass roof, you could say it’s chance that makes the work come to life. Buren has created a sort of living piece of art which evolves as the sun and clouds pass through the sky.

Even the seasons can change the way the now tinted light falls on the passengers, trains, and structures inside the already impressive building, which has made its way onto many a list of most beautiful train stations in the world. During a year, the station will be covered in ten thousand square metres of rectangles in all the colours of the rainbow.

The work is aptly named “As if fallen from the sky, colours in situ and in movement” (Comme tombées du ciel, les couleur in situ et en mouvement). Buren hopes for visitors to see Liège-Guillemins station in a new light, and for them to discover the unexpected.

The station as it exists now was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was officially opened on 18 September 2009. Buren collaborated with Calatrava for the creation of this work of art.

But these sorts of works you have to see for yourself, so hop on a train to the city of Simenon and discover a delicious Liège waffle while you’re at it.