Customers using Transport for London (TfL)’s new Elizabeth line can enjoy public artworks in stations and surrounding public spaces by acclaimed British and international artists including Turner Prize winner Richard Wright, British artists Chantal Joffe and Simon Periton and American artist Spencer Finch.
The artworks pay homage to their local areas and communities, building on a long history and philosophy of putting art at the centre of the capital’s transport system to enhance the passenger experience.
Each artwork has been designed to interact both physically and conceptually with individual stations, demonstrating the benefit of site-specific commissioning.
Across the central section stations of the Elizabeth line, customers are currently able to view the following artworks:
A Cloud Index by American artist Spencer Finch at Paddington station. The 120-metre long and 18-metre wide artwork features 32 different types of clouds drawn in pastel by the artist and printed onto glass panels, creating a picture of the sky in the tradition of English landscape paintings by Constable and Turner. It can be seen on the station canopy in the concourse area by the ticket gates of the Elizabeth line station
No title by Turner Prize winner Richard Wright at Tottenham Court Road station. It features an intricate, geometric gold-leaf pattern, hand gilded by the artist and a team of assistants. It can be found on the ceiling above the escalators in the Elizabeth line Tottenham Court Road station eastern ticket hall, located at Charing Cross Road
Avalanche and Spectre by British artist Simon Periton at Farringdon station. Avalanche features the tracery of large diamonds as a nod to the goldsmiths, jewellers and ironsmiths of the nearby Hatton Garden. It can be found in the western ticket hall of the Elizabeth line station at Farringdon. Spectre features an elaborate curved pattern printed on the exterior glazing that runs around three sides of the building, reflecting the Victorian metalwork of the nearby Smithfield Market. It can be seen at the eastern ticket hall of the Elizabeth line station, off Long Lane
A Sunday Afternoon in Whitechapel by London-based British artist Chantal Joffe at Whitechapel station. The artwork reflects the east London community enjoying a typical Sunday afternoon. It can be seen spanning across the station’s platforms
Transitions by Israeli artist Michal Rovner at Canary Wharf station. It is a video artwork installation which is 16 metres long capturing architectural elements, monuments and movement of people throughout history and time. It is located at Crossrail Place which leads down to the Elizabeth line station ticket hall.
In addition to these artworks within the new Elizabeth line stations, British Afro-Caribbean artist Sonia Boyce OBE RA – who recently won the Venice Biennale’s top Golden Lion prize –has created an artwork titled Newham Trackside Wall. At more than a mile long, it is one of the longest artworks in the UK and runs through Custom House, Silvertown and North Woolwich. The artwork is deeply reflective of the local community with contributions from over 170 testimonies from local residents woven into the final piece. Newham Trackside Wall was commissioned by Crossrail, curated by UP Projects and engineered by Atkins. A dedicated website includes all the community testimonies and background information about the artwork can be found at www.newhamtracksidewall.com
Simon Periton said:
“The work will be experienced in glimpses and that’s where a public artwork is different from putting a piece in a gallery… it will be observed for smaller amounts of time but more regularly, so it’s completely different viewing experience.”
Chantal Joffe added:
“All my thinking around this project has been about the journeys we make and how we make them our own – through the people we see on a daily basis, or private maps of significant places we carry in our heads. Part of the challenge has been to develop small intimate collages into large scale works and to retain a sense of the personal in a public space.”
Eleanor Pinfield, Head of Art on the Underground, said:
“I am delighted that customers using the newly launched Elizabeth line can enjoy major art installations across the central stations by acclaimed British and international artists. The opening of the line sees a huge expansion in artworks that can be enjoyed by the public as they make their journeys in London. We invite the public to step out of their daily routine to observe civic spaces anew.”
The Crossrail Art Foundation was founded in 2014 with support and funding from the City of London Corporation to establish and maintain a public art programme for the central Elizabeth line stations. The Crossrail Art Programme by the Crossrail Art Foundation aimed to link the stations to their local area and create inspirational spaces through a line-wide public art exhibition.
Ahead of the opening of the Elizabeth line, care of the artworks was transferred to TfL’s Art on the Underground team.
Art was commissioned for seven stations and paid for by funders and/or grant contributors. The City Corporation provided matched funding for half of the total cost of the Art Programme in central London Elizabeth line stations, plus a contribution towards set-up costs.
Michael Cassidy CBE, Chairman of the Crossrail Art Foundation said:
“This moment marks the magnificent culmination of a decade-long process to create an arts legacy to match the engineering triumph of the Crossrail venture. At no cost to the railway project itself, the charity set out to deliver individual experiences at the below-surface stations that enhance the traveller environment and provide a talking-point relating to where each venue sits. We trust that the programme will excite and intrigue all who pass through.”
Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said:
“Not only will the Elizabeth line connect many more people directly to the City, but commuters and visitors alike can now enjoy art by Turner Prize winners and renowned British artists on their journeys.
“The City of London Corporation is proud to support the Crossrail Art Programme and a wide range of cultural schemes, which will ensure the Square Mile is a vibrant destination of choice for everyone.”