We’ve commissioned three artists with connections to Surrey and Delta’s South Asian community, culture and heritage to produce public artworks along the new R6 Scott Road RapidBus route.

TransLink and a panel of South Asian art professionals selected Keerat Kaur, Angela Aujla and Jessie Sohpaul for a new mosaic and shelter glazing.

Keerat Kaur was selected to create a mosaic for the new R6 RapidBus median bus stop at 72 Avenue and Scott Road. This median island in-lane bus stop will be unique in TransLink’s system.

She is a Canadian-born artist and architect with Sikh-Panjabi roots. Her work has often revolved around revitalizing aspects of Panjabi-Sikh culture, while simultaneously promoting inclusivity and community engagement.

Keerat explains her mosaic design is “influenced by the aesthetics of the Punjabi floor dari, or carpet, with three significant flowers and three emblematic birds, each carrying profound symbolic meaning within Punjabi and Sikh poetics. The featured motifs encompass the marigold (celebration), the parakeet (playfulness), the lotus (perseverance), the peacock (regality), the rose (elegance), and the eagle (strength).”

Angela Aujla was selected to design bus shelter glazing for the new Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) eastbound stop and the northbound stop at 72 and Scott Road.

She is a visual artist and professor who engages with archival materials and cultural objects to explore the interplay between culture, memory and history.

Angela’s designs will “draw from Sikh iconography, embed traditional Panjabi phulkari textile and feature the Northern Goshawk, known in Panjabi as the baaj. The baaj is the state bird of the Panjab, which can be found in Sikh scriptures and artwork, and has habitat in the Lower Mainland.”

Jessie Sohpaul was selected to design bus shelter glazing for the new southbound median bus stop at 72 Avenue and Scott Road and for the new westbound bus stop at 128 Street and 72 Avenue.

He is a multidisciplinary artist, based out of Vancouver, whose work is heavily influenced by his experience as a first generation born into a Punjabi immigrant family and raised in Canada.

Jessie shared his “vision for the R6 project is to create a lens into migration and movement. The goal is to create a piece that seeks to celebrate the journey and is a pause moment for reflection. The form of the work is based on the intricate Jaali patterns (lattices) and will act as windows into the lives of individuals and riders.”

This is the first time we’ve commissioned public art for a RapidBus route. The three artists will finalize their designs over the coming months with the installation of these significant public artworks expected in November 2023.

Debra Rolfe, a senior planner who leads on public art initiatives at TransLink, says: “We are thrilled to bring the work of these three exceptional artists to the R6 route in Surrey and Delta and to celebrate the area’s rich South Asian community and culture.”

The installation will precede the launch of the R6 Scott Road RapidBus service in early 2024, TransLink’s largest service expansion since 2020.