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Bus shelters to provide a platform for public artists
Miranda Bryant4 Aug 2009
Bus stops are to be transformed into works of art in a London-wide design project.
A digital artist has designed a computer programme to create images for the tops of bus shelters after being inspired by attempts to beautify the roofs on his local route.
Alfie Dennen, 33, from Hackney, says he wants to provide a canvas to allow Londoners and communities to tell their stories to thousands of passengers every day.
“I live in Kingsland Road and there's someone who throws painted toothpicks with potatoes on to bus stops. Then there's another person who leaves trails of hearts and grass on them. A lot of people do stuff like that on bus routes,” he said.
“It will be a public artists' resource, but really it's to put art in the hands of the people.”
Mr Dennen estimates the cost of the project at about £300,000 and he has been shortlisted for Arts Council funding. He said the concept “turns art on its head” and is intended to empower the public and create a genuinely community art experience that he hopes will reflect the cultural diversity of London.
He will have panels of programmable LEDs installed on the roofs of 64 bus shelters, two for every borough. His computer programme for creating the designs works in a similar way to graphics editing programme Photoshop, providing every user with tools. “There's a standardised toolkit — lines, spray can function, circles. It's the same for everyone: artist Anish Kapoor would be using the same tool kit to make his canvas as a 14-year-old kid from Dalston,” said Mr Dennen.
Bus stop artists will upload their designs to Mr Dennen's website, where visitors will vote for which they want to see on a shelter roof. The chosen designs are sent to a modem at the bus stop and appear on the LEDs. Designers can also specify what time they want their work to show.
Mr Dennen said:“It's a very, very big public art project. Bus stops are quite incredible structures — regular, modular and they serve a social function — they're just quite wonderful social projects. We're hopeful we'll get funding,” he said.
He is the co-founder of mobile blogging site Moblog, and is no stranger to public art projects. His website We're Not Afraid, which he set up after the 7/7 bombings to show that Londoners would not let terrorism stop their freedom, attracted 3,500 images in days.
Reader views (5)
This is not a new idea, and the odds are that:
1) There will be some very good art
2) There will be some very bad art
3) There will be 'outrage' by various groups over various kinds of art
4) Someone will 'create' something that offends 99% of the population and will seek court protection for their 'right' to express themselves
5) There will be effort to create 'official standards' that define 'art' and that will create one gigantic mess
6) The project will cost far more than ever imagined, many costs will be hidden or absorbed by various agencies which end up handling complaints, paperwork and the like.
Just be prepared, we've seen it all happen before
- Trunk, US, 04/08/2009 23:45
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Surely bus shelters have always been platforms for works of art. It´s called graffiti. The Dutch are far better at it than the English, I regret to say. Their graffiti really is artistic.
- Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, Netherlands, 04/08/2009 16:04
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Lancashire County Council had a better idea - plaster the bus shelters with a large poster with the word INTERGRATING miss-spelt!!
There are muppets North of Watford too!!
- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK, 04/08/2009 13:58
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A great idea, everything in the open elements is subject to vandalism, the point here being that London is interesting and leading the way in inovative art projects. It'll make a journey more intersting and promote the use of public transport, although upstairs may get a little crowded. 
- Iain, Dalston, London, 04/08/2009 11:31
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An excellent idea, spend £300,000 on something that will be destroyed by vandals within a week.
- Bob, Cheam, 04/08/2009 09:35
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