London’s two latest tube stations now have Mark Wallinger Labyrinths.
The artworks had been unveiled on the two Northern line extension stations which opened in 2021 — Battersea Energy Station and 9 Elms — by Wallinger himself. The event marks 160 years of the London Underground, and the tenth anniversary of the unique Labyrinths which may be discovered at London’s different 270 Underground stations.
Every Labyrinth — embossed on enamel, so it may be felt in addition to seen — is everlasting and distinctive to its station; 9 Elms’s set up options 9 concentric circles (an ode to the station’s identify) whereas Battersea Energy Station station’s new paintings depicts a four-cornered construction, reflecting the long-lasting four-chimney landmark it takes its identify from. The 2 new designs are numerically linked to Kennington’s Labyrinth (110/270) — so are numbered 110a/270 and 110b/270.
“I needed to retain the integrity with all the Labyrinths from the unique challenge 10 years in the past, and this in a manner is a celebration of that tenth anniversary,” Wallinger advised Londonist on the double unveiling on 18 October.
The Labyrinths have confirmed extraordinarily standard amongst tube travellers; there are even self-named ‘Labyrinth hunters’, who attempt to tick off each one on the community. Certainly, a couple of of them had been champing on the bit on the launch.
Eleanor Pinfield, TfL’s Head of Artwork on the Underground, defined to Londonist: “Individuals usually exit with their households to search out every one in every of them. Nearly like a treasure hunt.
“I believe Labyrinth has had one of the crucial attention-grabbing responses to public artwork that I can consider internationally. It is a very, very attention-grabbing challenge as a result of they’re comparatively small works, however they’re dispersed amongst the entire of London, which implies for everybody travelling they’ll really feel a way that that’s the one at their station, that’s their residence one.”
Pinfield added, “Each Labyrinth is someplace the place you possibly can really go up and contact it, as properly. It can by no means be someplace out of attain or behind a barrier.”
You’ll find Wallinger’s new Labyrinths within the ticket workplaces of Battersea Energy Station and 9 Elms.