The Culture Line will place major artworks at central stations on the city’s new Crossrail train line.
A transport network art programme known as The Culture Line will permanently integrate large-scale artworks at key stations on London’s new Crossrail train line which is currently under construction. The city’s commercial galleries will create partnerships with individual stations to invite artists to submit proposals. Five partnerships are already in place, including the Gagosian working with Tottenham Court Road Station and White Cube partnering with Bond Street Station, and further discussions are taking place to create partnerships for all of the eight central London stations on the line. The first commissioned piece is ‘A Cloud Index’ by artist Spencer Finch, which will feature clouds moving above a 120m long glass canopy at Paddington Station.
Artists will be asked to submit ideas based on three areas of the project: Art and Architecture, with plans for architecture teams to work with artists to integrate art into the stations; The River of Light, which will host light instillations and allow streaming of digital art throughout the Crossrail line; and The Urban Gallery, which will present individual, specifically-located art and design works in public spaces within and surrounding the new stations. The Culture Line is created in collaboration with consultants Future City and will be funded through private sponsorship, as no public funds are available for the art installations within Crossrail’s £14.8bn budget.