Transport for LondonJeremy Deller - Portrait of John Hough
Platform for Art - © Jeremy Deller - Portrait of John Hough
Millions of Londoners to get free artwork by Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller
Platform for Art is pleased to announce that Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller has designed the latest cover of the London Underground pocket Tube map. The work is the sixth in a series of art works commissioned by Platform for Art. London Underground has a long established tradition of working with artists of the highest calibre and since 2000 its Platform for Art programme has been continuing this tradition through many projects around the network.
When John Hough retires this June, his will temporarily become the best-known
face on the
London Transport network thanks to the work of Turner Prize winning artist
Jeremy Deller.
Having notched up a total of 542 months service, John Hough is Transport for London’s current longest serving member of staff.
Deller has been commissioned by Platform for Art (the London Underground art programme) to create the next cover artwork for the London Underground Pocket Tube Map and has chosen to produce a delicate, line-drawn portrait of John Hough with artist Paul Ryan. As more and more elements of the Transport for London system are becoming digitised, the work reminds us of the thousands of people behind the scenes working on the ground to bring it to life.
Portrait of John Hough is the latest in a line of commissions by Platform for Art for the Pocket Tube Map cover. These have included works by some of Britain’s most exciting artists, including Yinka Shonibare, David Shrigley, Liam Gillick, Gary Hume and Emma Kay. Each artist is asked to respond to the challenge by following an informal set of rules, such as referring to the location of the work or incorporating the familiar colours and lines of the iconic London Underground map.
The Pocket Tube Map covers are the only art works to be owned outright by London Underground through their commissioning programme, Platform for Art. They are the basis of a permanent collection of unique works by the UK’s best artists, and are slowly becoming recognised as collector’s items as the portfolio grows. Available from stations across the network, the map has one of the largest print runs for any organisation in Europe, with over 5 million printed per design and almost 15 million per year.
Jeremy Deller
Paul Ryan and Jeremy Deller recently collaborated on a publication celebrating
the early life of the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, for the Tate Liverpool
exhibition, Liverpool Centre of the Creative Universe.
Born in 1966, Jeremy Deller lives and works in London. He was awarded
the Turner prize in 2004 for his contribution to contemporary art practice.
Known for his works of a social nature his practice is varied. Often working
with other people to make works his interests lie in producing a commentary
on contemporary culture. One of his well known works is The Battle of
Orgreave which involved the re-enactment of a clash between pickets and
police during the 1984-5 strike. Deller brought together veterans from
the confrontation and, along with several re-enactment societies, initiated
a re-staging of events as they had unfolded 17 years previously.
Paul Ryan
Born in 1968, Paul Ryan lives and works in London. Ryan is currently completing
a PhD at The University of the Arts, London on Peirce's Semeiotic and
the Implications for Aesthetics in the Visual Arts. An Extemporary Case
Study: The Sketchbook and its Position in the Hierarchies of Making, Collecting
and Exhibiting. He has completed a number of international residencies,
including The Imperial War Museum, London (2006). His work is held in
public, corporate and private collections including: The British Museum,
Imperial War Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Royal Mint and The
Wellcome Trust.
John Hough
Born in 1942 John Hough moved from Tipperary to London when he was 19
through a recruitment drive for the London buses. He worked for 5 years
as a Conductor before retraining as a Booking Clerk for London Underground.
He now works as a Station Supervisor for Wembley Park. He has spent the
last 40 years with the company witnessing many significant changes including
the shift from imperial to metric currency as well as the transfer of
London Underground to Transport for London.
Platform for Art
Portrait of John Hough is the latest artwork on display across the Tube
network. Other innovative works that have appeared as part of the Platform
for Art programme include limited-edition Oyster wallets, an entire Picacdilly
line Tube wrapped in an art work and the transformation of the disused
platform space at Gloucester Road into a stunning gallery space. With
over three million passengers using the network per day, projects will
be exposed to one of the biggest contemporary art audiences in Europe.
Platform for Art is London Underground’s (LU) public Art programme, producing
high calibre artworks in unexpected places on the network, enhancing the
millions of journeys made every day. It aims to promote a greater understanding
of the Tube as a cultural and social environment through the creative
commissioning of artworks.
For more information about Platform for Art, please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/pfa
