Mystery Train

Jessica Voorsanger with students from Westminster charity Pursuing Independent Paths and London Underground staff

Charing Cross Underground station
From December 2008

Mystery Train embraces London, its transport and popular culture by encouraging people with learning difficulties to visit and celebrate contemporary art galleries.

Initiated by the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), the project brings together artist Jessica Voorsanger, Westminster charity Pursuing Independent Paths (PIP) and Art on the Underground.

Over six months, Jessica Voorsanger and students from PIP have worked together to demystify transport through a series of trips and games, using costumes and karaoke. They have visited galleries and museums in the city and toured ‘behind the scenes’ with the staff at Charing Cross Underground station.

As part of the project, Jessica and the students have developed a series of posters with London Underground staff at Charing Cross. Based on the game ‘Heads, Bodies and Legs’, the posters present different sections of each participant’s photographic portrait mixed together to form a new set of composite figures, each dressed in the London Underground uniform.

Working alongside PIP’s travel training programme, Mystery Train aims to encourage adults with learning difficulties to travel independently and use public transport to access galleries and museums.

A book to complement the posters, Mystery Train, is available at the ICA Bookshop: ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH

For more information on Mystery Train visit the ICA website