London life is about to get infinitely better. This, as any city-dweller will attest, is because the tubes will run 24-hour services as of September – and the Victoria line in particular will get a new lease of life courtesy of Art on the Underground, Transport for London's contemporary art initiative.
Unveiled this week, their latest project, 'Underline', will include the network's first music commission and a joint venture with Turner Prize-nominated architectural collective Assemble.
The year-long celebration reflects the ethos of Walthamstow-born artist William Morris, who rightly believed that great art should be for everybody. Morris was a key influence on Frank Pick, managing director of London Underground in the early 20th century, who steered the graphic identity of the transport line we now know so well, instituting Edward Johnston's roundel, the Johnston font and Harry Beck's Tube Map, among other now-ubiquitous elements.
Drawing on the belief that good design leads to a better society, Giles Round's Design Work Leisure aims 'to intervene into the fabric of the Victoria line' by producing prototypes of functional objects that can be used on the tube. Tiles, clocks, lighting and sign posts are all expected to be included, as well as a limited edition Oyster card wallet which will be handed out at every Victoria line station.
In a similar vein of wanting to improve society through design and architecture, Assemble will tackle the entrance/exit at Seven Sisters – a location associated with anti-social behaviour issues. The group will take inspiration from subterranean geology to inform their above ground interventions.
Come autumn, short films by Liam Gillick (themselves shot across the tube network) will be screened on platforms and composer Matt Rogers will create a piece of music to be performed live in stations by members of the London Sinfonietta during spring 2016.
Closing the 'Underline' project will be Brixton-based artist Zineb Sedira, with a film and photographic series.
The year-long celebration reflects the ethos of Walthamstow-born artist William Morris, who rightly believed that great art should be for everybody. Pictured here: 'Cut travelling time' poster for Victoria line, by Tom Eckersley, 1969.
Drawing on the belief that good design leads to a better society, Giles Round's Design Work Leisure will produce prototypes of functional objects that can be used on the tube, as well as a limited edition Oyster card wallet, pictured here.
Morris was a key influence on Frank Pick, managing director of London Underground in the early 20th century, who steered the graphic identity of the transport line.
A woman wearing an overcoat staring at two Victoria line posters circa 1968, and (right) a poster with the warning 'Doze off for 20 minutes and you'll end up in Walthamstow', by an unknown artist.
Queen Elizabeth on the Victoria line, when it first opened in 1969,
-
Five of the finest compact cameras available todayPocketable cameras are having a moment. We’ve assembled a set of cutting-edge compacts that’ll free you from the ubiquity of smartphone photography and help focus your image making
-
London label Wed Studio is embracing ‘oddness’ when it comes to bridal dressingThe in-the-know choice for fashion-discerning brides, Wed Studio’s latest collection explores the idea that garments can hold emotions – a reflection of designers Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips’ increasingly experimental approach
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
How will future car interiors take shape? London studio NewTerritory has a vision for automotive designDesign studio NewTerritory has set up a new automotive division to explore the future of car interiors. We interrogate the team
-
All the best bits from Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025As car makers switch their allegiance to the sunny West Sussex countryside as a place to showcase their wares, a new generation of sports cars were sent running up that famous hill
-
Venerable British car-maker AC goes OTT with the high-output, low-slung AC GT SuperSportPitched at all-American fans of the original AC Cobra, the GT SuperSport is a fearsome two-seat roadster with more muscle than ever before
-
Gulfstream’s newly refurbished London Design Centre offers myriad ways to spec your jetPurchasing a private jet requires a cavalcade of design decisions. Gulfstream now offers its London customers a new Sales and Design Centre for them to make their decisions at leisure
-
‘Wundercar’ celebrates the ineffable aura of the Porsche 959, the first true hypercarCurated by London creatives INK, ‘Wundercar’ is a London exhibition dedicated to the image and influence of Porsche’s seminal 959, a true icon of 1980s engineering
-
EV start-up Halcyon transforms a classic 1970s Rolls-Royce into a smooth electric operatorThis 1978 Rolls-Royce Corniche is the first fruit of a new electric restomod company, the Surrey-based Halcyon
-
China’s Leapmotor pounces on the European car market with its T03 city car and C10 SUVLeapmotor’s tiny electric city car could be just the tonic for cramped urban Europe. We sample the T03 and its new sibling, the fully loaded C10 SUV, to see if the company’s value proposition stacks up
-
We make off with a MOKE and experience the cult EV on the sunny backroads of SurreyMOKE is a cult car with a bright future. Wallpaper* sat down with the company's new CEO Nick English to discuss his future plans for this very British beach machine
