326 LONDON SKYLINE by KRISTYANA S WILLIAMS

 TRANSPORT FOR LONDON: THREE BUS SCULPTURE TRAILS

Transport for London has an honourable record of bringing art by contemporary artists to the attention of the public, sometimes where they least expect it. Having declared 2014 The Year of the Bus, TFL, together with the London Transport Museum and the capital's bus operators, have created three bus art sculpture trails: one around the City of Westminster; another along the Thames, past Tate Modern and St Pauls Cathedral; and the third in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

LONDON SKYLINE by KRISTYANA S WILLIAMS

Kristyana Williams' work references London's rich architectural heritage.  Her illustrations juxtapose strong graphic lines with intricate Victorian engravings, creating a striking  art work in Charing Cross Road. Her glimpses of  London tempt us to set out and enjoy  the views which locals and visitors have been enjoying as travellers on London buses for the past 150 years. Kristyana Williams is an artist whose experience spans illustration, interiors, fashion and design.  She is said to be 'mostly inspired by nature, 'the symmetry in all things living', which stems from her childhood in Iceland.

DAZZLE BUS by STEPHEN McKAY

2014 is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One. This striking design was inspired by Dazzle camouflage, invented by artists primarily to protect ships from attack. Unlike more familiar forms of camouflage, Dazzle works not by trying to conceal objects or buildings but to confuse the viewer, by making it difficult to estimate a target's range, speed and direction. Over 2,000 'Dazzle Ships' were painted during the war and no two designs were the same. Picasso later claimed Cubists had invented Dazzle techniques - but not everyone agrees.

PUNK'D by VALERIE OSMENT

Punk'd pays homage to London as the birthplace of Punk - a mid 70s fashion and music genre. Two Union Flags are painted draped across the roof, jaggedly pinned together with punk-esque safety pins. 'Rips' in the flag provide glimpses into the 1970s world of album covers, tartan, leather stud belts and spiked pink Mohican hair cuts.
In true 'anti-establishment' torn-newspaper Punk style, a Punk'ed slogan is sprayed across both sides of the bus. It does two things - states that the work is inspired by punk but also that the bus has been 'punk'd with art' i.e. art has played a trick on it.Valerie Osment's work has painting and illustration at its core. She exploits multiple media and visual art forms to create work in 2D or 3D form and has created two BookBenches for Books about Town based on Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. 

LONDON TELEPHONE BUS by STEPHEN McKAY

And then there is the K6 telephone box in Parliament Square referencing Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's iconic 1935 design. The artist hopes that 'visitors will get out their modern smart phones and take photographs of themselves beside the classic predecessor. In fact the sculpture stands feet away from the real red phone box, which is constantly in use - usually as a photographic backcloth. Rarely do I walk by without seeing people from all over the world having fun: a crowd of waving youngsters packed half in and half out of the open door; a couple of sedate tourists staring at a camera as if to say 'We were there' - and all stages of liveliness and invention in between.

www.tfl.gov.uk/campaign/sculpture-trails
www.ltmuseum.co.uk

 www.kristjanaswilliams.com/

www.booksabouttown.org.uk/?action=ListArtists      (VALERIE OSMENT)

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/incoming/kids-company-benefit-celebrations-mark-8014868

(STEPHEN McKAY)

Following this public display, all the bus sculptures will be auctioned in early 2015 to raise funds for three charities: Kids Company, Transaid and London Transport Museum