Preserve Paolozzi!

Some of London's most public, but probably least noticed, art is under threat: part of Eduardo Paolozzi's technicolour mosaics throughout Tottenham Court Road Tube station may have to be removed because of the station's massive Crossrail-led expansion.

As the Evening Standard notes, "The work will involve the loss of some tiles that make up arguably the most stunning artwork on the Underground - the coloured mosaics by the late Scottish artist Sir Eduardo Paolozzi." There are bright saxophones and birds and coloured lines running amok, Pop Art dynamism in London's dynamic transportation network.

The artwork may be stunning, but I think most people pay no more attention to it than they do the digital ads which flash by as you take the escalators. Part of this is no doubt due to the grubby effects of ageing on the work, part to the rush of commuters concentrating on their destination or love life or the aural ambush of the iPod.

We have been well trained in respect of public art as an "event": a new sculpture on the fourth plinth attracts attention (especially when it involves rotating public performances, as per Gormley), and any property developer who wants a planning permit knows they have to have some sort of mediocre installation to distract from the banality of their buildings.

But it seems that Paolozzi's Tube mosaics were done for none of these reasons, but rather because, once, Tube bosses felt that even cattle-crowded commuters deserved energy and beauty on their journey. Let's try and make sure that as little as possible of the mosaic is removed by telling Tube Lines (who run the Northern Line) to protect it: their email is helpline@tubelines.com.

Update: Sign a petition to preserve the Paolozzi mosaics

Update 2: Transport for London have sent me this statement:

“London Underground highly values the Paolozzi mosaics within Tottenham Court Road Underground station, and alongside the Tube’s ‘Art on the Underground’ programme, we have been working closely with the Paolozzi Foundation as the Tottenham Court Road upgrade progresses. We are taking great care to protect and preserve these wonderful mosaics as we upgrade Tottenham Court Road station.

"As part of the upgrade of the station, major engineering works are required in the platform tunnels to strengthen them before new passageways are dug. This will mean that some sections of existing mosaic tiles will have to be carefully removed and reinstated once the tunnelling work is finished. Where small sections do have to be permanently removed from their current location, they will be preserved with the aim of being used elsewhere on the station in the future.”

Update 3: The Herald newspaper has run a big story on the Paolozzi mosaics