Metro
New fleet artwork
Four artists each won a unique commission to create major works for the interior of Metro's new train fleet. Metro will be the first urban transit system in the world to feature permanent art inside trains when the new fleet enters service, thanks to a project led by Nexus and funded by Arts Council England through its National Lottery Project Grants Programme. Two works of art will appear on each train, with each work appearing 23 times across the whole fleet as a result.
Bryony Simcox
Bryony's large-scale collage is constructed entirely from hand-cut paper pieces, built up from images sent by local people in answer to the question "what makes this place glow?" . Pushing against the traditional glossy imagery used to promote a place, the work takes on a striking abstract form when seen from down the carriage, while inviting people to dive into idiosyncratic and personal details up close. background Bryony Simcox is an urbanist, optimist and maker who studied architecture at Newcastle University. She works with hand-cut paper collage to draw together diverse imagery into playful and surreal scenarios referencing architecture, travel and the human form.
Drawn to Life by Sara Gibbeson
Sara's aim for her artwork on Metro is to capture a slice of life from around the region, bringing her sketches together to create a snapshot of the people and places she observes as she travels by Metro and visits communities around it. She has brought together and enlarged dozens of these intimate pen and pencil line drawings to overlap each other in a dense and intriguing final work in which the viewer's focus continually changes. Sara Gibbeson's background Sara, an illustrator and lecturer based in South Shields, spent weeks and months travelling on Metro sketching her fellow passengers and people at work and play in local town and city centres. Her work captures people, places and everyday moments, using both digital and traditional tools to create lively, hand drawn imagery with a limited colour palette.
North Sea Mermaids by Nocciola the Drawer
Hazel Oakes, working as Nocciola the Drawer, has created a digital mural celebrating the communities of women who come together to wild sea swim on the beaches served Metro at Seaburn, South Shields and Tynemouth. Hazel immersed herself in research, swimming, chatting and filming with her subjects to create an inspiring, refreshing and empowering celebration. Hazel Oakes' background Hazel Oakes, working as Nocciola the Drawer, is an illustrator and mural artist from County Durham. She has a nomadic spirit and feels her sense of community with women anywhere in the world. She specializes in bright, bold, colourful artwork that combines female characters with lively patterns, all with the aim to uplift, inspire, empower and celebrate women.
Blazing Trails by Sofia Barton
Sofia's work explores the hidden histories and trail-blazing personalities which have helped make North East England a vibrant and inclusive place to live. The digital montage draws on influences including Sofia's own Punjabi heritage and her upbringing in Newcastle's west end. Sofia Fox Barton's background Sofia Fox Barton is a multidisciplinary artist from Newcastle whose bright artwork is heavily influenced by nature and her Punjabi heritage. Inspired by feminism and history, her style often consists of vintage imagery, patterns as well as symbology. She works across mediums such as print, painting and digital art, with her work exhibited at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art, Dockside Gallery, Pink Collar Gallery and Split Milk Gallery in Edinburgh.
