A group of young artists (above) have transformed the tube with Underground Heroes. Picture: Benedict Johnson, courtesy Art on the Underground
Exhibition: Underground Heroes, Charing Cross and Embankment Stations, London, until December 2009
The dreary London Underground has finally been reinvigorated this week by a group of superheroes. A new exhibition of comic strip characters has opened at Charing Cross and Embankment stations, the result of a collaboration between artist David Blandy and nine disadvantaged young people from the national charity Fairbridge.
Glum commuters will now be able to marvel at a series of larger-than-life, imaginative photographic portraits and thought-provoking cartoons, forming the basis of an inspirational community youth project.
"The work you will see in Undergound Heroes has been devised from these young people's re-imaginings of their own heroic adventures," says Blandy, who worked closely with participants on the Fairbridge scheme for many months. "It draws on their own personal stories, aspirations and interests to create a uniquely new set of alternative personas."
Picture: Daisy Hutchison, courtesy Art on the Underground
Blandy is fascinated by the factors which form our identities and how they are influenced by and interact with the often overpowering forces of popular culture surrounding us. "My aim was to tap into young people's consciousness, to focus on the ways in which their formative years are affected by the images and styles associated with things such as hip-hop, contemporary film and cartoons."
Blandy's goal was to take his subjects on a journey which would prompt them to reassess their current lives and the inexhaustible opportunities for future realisation that exist. For him, the underground system, used by four million travellers each day, provided the perfect artistic setting to showcase the results of this quest.
The show stars Billy, a 17-year-old banana fairy. Picture courtesy the artist and Transport for London
"I began the process by sitting down with the kids and simply drawing them," explains female Manga illustrator Inko, who worked alongside Blandy. "We then asked them to imagine themselves as a particular type of animal – the choices reflected their own particular experiences and personalities. They were then encouraged to write short stories centred around a superhero of their own creation."
These stories are now presented in comic book tales in the foot tunnel at Embankment station. Leering over commuters, the figures represented are wildly optimistic rather than threatening. Their vivid blue, yellow, red and pink colouring symbolises unexploited energy and indefatigable hope.
Caped crusaders jostle for space with angelic fairies, swashbuckling pirates, floating spacemen and lithe panthers, depicting images of miraculous transformation, growth and stirring resilience. The overriding message is that an individual's potential is unimaginable.
Picture: Benedict Johnson, courtesy Art on the Underground
These youngsters have often been thwarted on their path to success. The inner-city Fairbridge Centre caters for a range of complex issues from homelessness to mental health and family problems. "When I came to Fairbridge I wasn't attending school, but now I've gone on to do my City and Guilds in English and Maths and am looking into other college courses," explains 17-year-old Billy, whose character, The Monkey Fairy, features in the display.
Photographic portraits of Billy and the other participants, mirroring Inko's drawings, dominate the entrance to Charing Cross station. Through working with photographer Tom Wichelow, leading costume designer Jenny Hayton and make-up artists Amita Rallin and Antigoni Livieratou, the characters have been brought to life in a stunningly imaginative display of vivid colour.
Picture: Benedict Johnson, courtesy Art on the Underground
Billy herself is decked out in an elaborate banana enthused costume, her lurid cerise eye shadow transforming her into the very essence of her character. Her eyes sparkle with spirited anticipation, echoing the admirable sentiment from her self-penned comic strip: "I must help all the lost monkeys."
"If we wanted the youngsters to ask themselves just one question," proffers Louise Coysh, Curator of Art on the Underground, "it was: ‘Who am I and who can I be?’" Just a cursory look at the images in this exhibition suggests that this goal has been achieved.
Picture: Daisy Hutchison, courtesy Art on the Underground
The thoughtful eyes and perplexed grins on display clearly depict a group of young people engrossed in the fervent act of re-evaluation. The cumulative effect is quite inspirational and unexpectedly moving.
Visit the project online for more details.
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