Merseyrail map gets a celebrity makeover

May 1 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

A NEW artwork which gives a Mersey transport icon a completely different twist will soon be greeting commuters across the city.

Centre of the Universe takes the instantly recognisable rail map of Merseyside and replaces the station names with the names of well-known people and celebrities with a link to that area.

Giant reproductions of the work will be unveiled within a month at Moorfields and Central stations.

Meanwhile, the artist behind it is enjoying success as merchandise bearing the art is already proving popular.

Centre of the Universe creator Graeme Currie, a page designer on the Liverpool Daily Post, said: “I had the idea quite some time ago, it just seemed a great thing to do for 2008, in celebration of the great and the good of Liverpool, the local people who have made the region great.

“Hopefully it will work because it is something people in Liverpool see every day, just with a twist.”

Some stations are marked by celebrities who may not be natives but either stayed in or had a bearing on the area.

For example, the main four stations uniting all the lines are given to Scot Bill Shankly, pioneering psychologist Carl Jung (who called Liverpool “the pool of life”) and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg (who referred to the city as “the centre of the creative universe”). Ken Dodd is the only local in the four.

Tiger Woods’s golfing success at Hoylake lands him the prize residency there.

The Liverpool Poets Roger McGough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henri buck the trend by appearing banded together along the Northern Line, towards Southport.

For The Beatles, each member is represented at the nearest station to his childhood home, with George Harrison at Hunts Cross, Ringo Starr at Dingle, Paul McCartney at Liverpool South Parkway (formerly Allerton) and John Lennon at the airport.

Mr Currie said: “Hopefully people will have fun making the connections with the people and the stations and doing a bit of research themselves.”

Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel said: “Graeme approached us with his concept some time ago, and we thought the idea was very interesting as it links public transport, public art and some of the region’s most famous public faces, past and present.

“We are sure it will stimulate some interest and debate locally, and with visitors to the region, and we hope it encourages people to make more use of public transport across Merseyside.

“This is a project we have supported as part of our wider programme of public art across the network.”

Prints, tea towels and cotton tote bags bearing the design are already selling well in locations including the 08 Place, other tourist information centres, FACT and the Tate.

They can also be found at the region’s Borders bookshops, and Parchment in Metquarter and Warrington, as well as online at Mr Currie’s website www. hubcapmap.com

ARTIST CALL: PAGE 12

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