Hundreds Of Billboards Showing London Primary School Children Have Appeared Across The Capital

By Maire Rose Connor Last edited 52 months ago

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Hundreds Of Billboards Showing London Primary School Children Have Appeared Across The Capital
Finsbury Park © Steve McQueen & Tate. Courtesy of Artangel. Photograph by Theo Christelis

Some rather unusual billboards have popped up all over the capital this week — 613 of them, to be precise. Instead of showing off the latest TV show or fibre broadband deals, their subjects are ordinary London primary school children, captured alongside their teachers in a large-scale series of class photographs.

Coldharbour Lane © Pimlico Tube Station. Steve McQueen & Tate. Courtesy of Artangel. Photograph by Theo Christelis

This is the brainchild of Turner Prize-winning artist, Oscar-winning filmmaker and born-and-bred Londoner, Steve McQueen. The outdoor exhibition was created in partnership with Tate Britain, ArtAngel, and A New Direction, with each billboard featuring a different set of Year 3 pupils (7- and 8-year-olds).

Kennington Road © Steve McQueen & Tate. Courtesy of Artangel. Photograph by Theo Christelis

Tate Britain describes Year 3 as "a milestone year in a child’s development and sense of identity, when 7-and 8-year-olds become more conscious of a much bigger world beyond their immediate family". McQueen's work "captures this moment of excitement, anticipation and hope through the medium of the traditional class photograph".

Coldharbour Lane © Steve McQueen & Tate. Courtesy of Artangel. Photograph by Theo Christelis

A whopping two-thirds of London's Year 3 pupils (that's some 76,000 kids) featuring in McQueen's accompanying indoor showcase at Tate Britain, which opens on 12 November and is free to visit. The billboards themselves appear in all 33 London boroughs — from underpasses in Camden, to tube stations in Waltham Forest. See how many you can spot before they disappear on 19 November.

Last Updated 07 November 2019