The Subway is not (only) an Art Gallery: A Critical Analysis of Union Station's Zones of Immersion
Stuart Reid’s Zones of Immersion (2007-2015) is located in the Toronto Transit Commissions’ Union Station. Featuring figure sketches of transit passengers as well as colour and poetry, Reid’s piece has been the subject of controversy through varying opinions and interpretations of the piece since it became visible to the public in 2015. Though Zones of Immersion exemplifies concepts of infrastructural citizenship as defined and articulated by Theresa Enright, public art can have notable impacts on the wellbeing of individuals and communities. This paper will demonstrate that although Zones of Immersion has artistic merit, the permanent placement of the piece in Union Station distorts the message Reid seeks to convey. Instead, through its permanence Zones of Immersion binds viewers to a negative perspective and experience of the public transit space.