Secret London is the new exhibition at the London Transport Museum, which showcases the shortlisted 50 top entries to the Serco Prize for Illustration. The theme looks at the hidden and obscured aspects of the capital.
2012 is the third year that the competition has taken place, and this year is being run in collaboration with the Association of Illustrators. It includes material produced using a range of media which highlight some of London’s most unusual features. Some follow a serious theme – the Russian Orthodox Cathedral just off Hyde Park and a historical perspective of London’s river scene for example. Others are rather more playful, including illustrations of foxes commuting on the tube and a pigeon nightspot in Nelson’s Column!Amongst the entrants is Mike Hall, which might ring a bell with you because the masthead of this site is one of Mike’s creations! His piece is a fantastic line drawing featuring a train leaving London with Shoreditch Church and the Heron Tower in the background. You can see it at his website here.
The winners of the Serco Prize for Illustration will be announced at a special awards ceremony on the evening of Monday 12 November. The top prize winner will see their work featured in a transport poster which will be used all over the capital’s network.
Secret London opens to the public in the CBS Outdoor Gallery at the London Transport Museum on 13 November and runs through until 10 December. Admission to the gallery is included in the entry price to the museum, which is £13.50 for adults (£10.00 concessions – children under 16 get free entry). Tickets allow unlimited entries to the museum over the following 12 months so it represents pretty good value for money, particularly if you’re local.
About Pete Stean
