News

NORTHERN RAIL UNVEILS A WORK OF ART

7th December 2006

Guests gathered today as Northern Rail unveiled a giant work of art – NorthernArt’s Big Picture.
 
The Big Picture measures 4.5 by 6.6 metres and is made up of 345 individual pieces of artwork, which when viewed from afar, form one large image depicting scenes from across Northern Rail’s network.   
 
The artists are all students at primary and secondary schools in the North of England and some of them were on hand at the unveiling.  The Big Picture will form part of a growing display in the Great Hall at the National Railway Museum, York for a period of 12 months and will potentially be seen by some 750,000 visitors.   
 
Unveiling the Big Picture, Heidi Mottram, Managing Director, Northern Rail said: “I hope that visitors to the museum will enjoy the Big Picture, and the other artwork on display here."
 
“The Big Picture shows scenes from across our vast network.  From picturesque rural villages to bustling inner cities, our services and our people are an integral part of the communities we serve and it is a role we take very seriously.  We work closely with them to ensure that the services we provide really do meet their needs.   
 
“Graffiti has a major impact on our services and our operation but more importantly attempting to produce graffiti on or near to the railway can put youngsters in real danger.  NorthernArt is a powerful addition to our ongoing programme of work within schools and local communities to discourage young people from crime and anti- social behaviour on the railways.  Through NorthernArt we aim to encourage a feeling of self worth in young people by showcasing their artwork and giving them the recognition they deserve.”

Andrew Scott, Head of the National Railway Museum said: “The National Railway Museum is delighted to be working in partnership with Northern Rail on the ArtZone project.  This is a great opportunity to engage young people and showcase their work, and we are proud to be part of it.
 
“Northern ArtZone has been installed on the temporary hoarding erected to protect our visitors from the building works taking place in the Great Hall.  A new state of the art, accessible research and archive centre is being created behind the hoardings, which will provide the opportunity for more people than ever before to use our currently hidden collections for lifelong learning.  By the autumn of 2007 members of the public will be able to turn up, without an appointment, and have their questions answered and exhibits produced directly from the archives for them to explore.”
 
The Big Picture is part of NorthernArt, a new community initiative from Northern Rail that aims to divert young people from anti-social behaviour such as graffiti into art based activities that will benefit themselves and their local community.  
 
NorthernArt encourages young people to send their 2D artwork to www.northernartzone.net where it will be showcased in an online gallery for all to see.  Northern Rail is pioneering the use of the artwork on posters, corporate literature and eventually the exterior of trains. Other organisations and companies will also have the opportunity to access the artwork for use on publicity materials as long as they credit the artist with their work.