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Print

2005 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This free pocket-sized tube map has a cover commissioned by Platform for Art for London Underground. To explore ideas about mapping and route-finding, the artist used the colours of the lines from the classic tube map devised by Henry Beck (See E.816-1979). Gary Hume made an abstract grid pattern overlapped by circles in each of the colours representing the Underground lines.

Platform for Art, London Underground's art programme, commissions artists to create work for the travel network. This continues London Transport's tradition of commissioning artists to create publicity material. As part of this programme, some artists were invited to create covers for the London Underground pocket map.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Offset lithography on paper
Brief description
Pocket tube map with cover designed by Gary Hume; United Kingdom, 2005
Physical description
Pocket map of the London Underground, which folds into three vertically, with an abstract image of horizontal elongated diamond shapes in purple, the gaps between coloued in pink, with circles in colours representing the London Underground lines arranged randomly.
Dimensions
  • Height: 14.5cm
  • Folded width: 7cm
approximate viewed through glass
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • London Underground (Top of front cover, white on blue strip)
  • Tube map (In blue on white towards top of front cover)
  • June 2005 (In red on white towards top of front cover)
  • MAYOR / OF LONDON (In blue (ON in red) on white in band across below centre)
  • Transport for London (In blue on white in band across below centre)
  • [London Underground logo] (Red and blue on white, white lettering, in band across below centre)
Gallery label
(2007)
London Underground Pocket Tube Maps
Emma Kay
(born 1961), 2003
David Shrigley (born 1968), 2005
Yinka Shonibare (born 1962), 2006

These tube map covers were commissioned by Platform for
Art for London Underground. Each artist has used the
colours of the lines from the classic tube map devised by
Henry Beck to explore ideas about mapping and route-
finding. Emma Kay's design suggests a tube tunnel; David
Shrigley's confused tangle is magically clarified when the
map unfolds; Yinka Shonibare's design reflects London's
multicultural population and heritage, and shows the true
relative surface areas of each country by using the Peters
projection (1974).

Offset lithography on paper
Published by Transport for London
Given by Platform for Art
Credit line
Given by Riikka Kuittinen
Subject depicted
Summary
This free pocket-sized tube map has a cover commissioned by Platform for Art for London Underground. To explore ideas about mapping and route-finding, the artist used the colours of the lines from the classic tube map devised by Henry Beck (See E.816-1979). Gary Hume made an abstract grid pattern overlapped by circles in each of the colours representing the Underground lines.

Platform for Art, London Underground's art programme, commissions artists to create work for the travel network. This continues London Transport's tradition of commissioning artists to create publicity material. As part of this programme, some artists were invited to create covers for the London Underground pocket map.
Collection
Accession number
E.409-2007

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Record createdNovember 19, 2007
Record URL
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