A new sound artwork paying tribute to London’s community spaces, record shops and LGBTQ+ bars has been installed on the moving walkway at Waterloo Underground Station.
Art on the underground is TfL’s programme which was commissioned as part of the Mayor of London’s Culture and Community Spaces at Risk programme (CCSaR) to change the ways in which people see their city.
The CCSaR collaborated with London-based composer, artist and DJ Ain Bailey and experimental vocalist and movement artist Elaine Mitchener to create a bespoke sound artwork, a contemporary style of art where sound is used as the main material, instead of a canvas and paint, for example.
The piece, a rolling six-and-a-half-minute track called “Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner”, reflects on the value and loss of London’s cultural spaces.
In the track, Bailey pays credit to the community spaces, record shops, LGBTQ+ bars and landmarks of London which are no longer open.
These include Bali Hai, the legendary night club of her teens, Brixton Neighbourhood Community Association, which was established by her family in 1971, Soho’s Groove Records and lesbian institution Candy Bar.
Bailey said: “It’s about disappearing social and cultural spaces from my own life – across several decades, It invites reflection on how these places carry collective meaning.”
Bailey worked with Michener, a movement artist and composer, who sounds the names of the places that have been lost.
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries, said: “This groundbreaking audio for Art on the Underground demonstrates how they bring communities together, shape our experiences and bring joy and meaning to us all.
“That’s why we continue to do everything we can do to support venues across our capital, as we build a better London for everyone.”
It can be found between the Jubilee and Northern lines from Monday 29 June and Friday 10 July, between 10am and 5pm from Monday to Friday.
Customers can also listen to the piece via QR codes available in the station.
Featured image credit: Thierry Bal
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