Placing art on the Underground is always tricky. You have to compete with advertising, and commuters are often too busy to spend time contemplating it.
The latest pieces from Art on the Underground are by Zineb Sedira: can she overcome the obstacles that the network throws up?
Sedira has looked at immigration, transport and memory in her past works, and is a natural fit for a transport network filled with history.
She confessed to us she became obsessed with lines everywhere on the Underground network, not just on the maps but "the handrails, the rails themselves and even the yellow lines on the platforms.
"Even when you see trains from above they look like snakes."
The work we've seen in King's Cross includes Sedira's interview with Phil Roe, a former London Underground staff member who retired in June after 42 years of service. It shows all the maps of the Underground he collected over the years as well as some he has hand drawn. It's a very personal take on how the network has evolved, and inspired the people who love it.
The video alongside it shows where Underground trains go when they reach the end of the line, as they return to depots to be cleaned and serviced. This chimes with Sedira's desire to let us in on parts of the Underground we'd never usually see.
In keeping with the theme of making the public private, an accompanying work will be unveiled in Euston station in late October. This will show a time lapse driver's eye view of the journey along the Victoria line. We've seen the video and the screenshots we've included in this piece only do a little justice to just how stunning it is.
Two other stations on the Victoria line — Brixton and Highbury & Islington — will feature striking abstract images along the themes of lines, and the things we don't see on the Underground; this time looking at the wires and circuitry that lie hidden beneath the panels at stations.
These four stations are where the major works are, but many others with video screens will also be playing Sedira's work.
Under Line - Collecting Lines by Zineb Sedira will be on display at Underground stations until the end of the year.
