The array of subway and rail lines at the Atlantic Av-Barclays Ctr subway station and LIRR's Atlantic Terminal presented a perfect opportunity for an "architect/artist" collaboration to unify passages and stairways, creating a coherent and efficient space. George Trakas uses forms and materials that underscore the structure and beauty of the cavernous space. 

Trakas selected the stone pavers and bollards for the plaza area. The architects designed a skylight for the historic station kiosk and Trakas added a small peephole equipped with a lens that provides a view from the street to the light-filled space below. The viewer spies a boat-shaped gantry of stainless steel and mesh beneath the skylight. A granite "wave" runs along the walls and crests at the point where the two stations — Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street — meet, linking the passageways. Referencing the names Atlantic and Pacific, the overarching concept is a place of landing and departure, functions shared by train stations and seaports. 

George Trakas is a sculptor who has lived in New York City since 1963. Many of his projects are site-specific installations, and he describes himself as an environmental sculptor. He often recycles local materials and incorporates them into his work. Trakas' work is primarily situated outdoors, exploring relationships between nature, the built environment, and human presence. His outdoor site-specific works are installed at museums such as the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art and Dia:Beacon. He also conceived a nature walk along the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Trakas received several awards and was named Doctor of Humane Letters by Emory University in 2010. He was a professor of Sculpture at Yale University for 13 years.