7th St/Metro Center Station
Heaven to Earth, 1993
Roberto Gil de Montes, artist
Located above the escalator at the Hope Street entrance to the Metro Center Station, Heaven to Earth is a ceramic tile triptych with strong allegorical content. The triptych imagery corresponds to the passenger's gradual descent underground.
The top panel depicts weightless space where time travels as light. In the center, a rose represents the spirit of time, a vine of morning glory wrapped around a cane stands for wisdom, and an empty sand clock becomes a timer without time.
In the middle panel bird silhouettes spin in perpetual motion against a sunset. Souvenirs from downtown Los Angeles tourist spots (including Olvera Street and Chinatown) dance along the frame and are a symbol of the city’s changing cultures.
Surrounded by a morning glory vine, the bottom panel places the passenger in a peaceful lush garden—providing them with a serene moment before entering the station.
"My idea for this project derived from my experiences living in and visiting cities with subway systems such as Mexico City and my observations of Los Angeles, a city of many cultures. The first panel represents time and space, the second panel is an explosion of spirit—the motion of cultures. The third panel, an image of a garden, places the viewer in the earth's womb."