Sofia Barton | Artwork for Metro Tyne and Wear

Following an open competition, Nexus, the public body which owns Metro, commissioned four artists in collaboration with train manufacturer Stadler, and with funding from Arts Council England to create artwork for Metro Tyne and Wear. A big reveal last week at NCA gallery showcased artwork from POP Member Sofia Barton alongside Bryony Simcox, Sara Gibbeson, and Nocciola The Drawer.

Sofia created a vibrant montage recognising just a few of the inspiring people who have made the community a diverse and inclusive place to live. “I wanted to show the vital hidden history of the North East and to show some landmarks that are sometimes overlooked,” says the illustrator.

When she first came up with the design for the piece, after downloading the template she added details and imagery more in line with her matchbox work, and icons of Newcastle like the Angel of the North. However, at the interview, she realised that the patterns and design would work better with the theme of hidden history – with images such as the Angel of the North somewhat over-saturating what constitutes as the North East. Similar to the ideas she had for a previous project Narivad, Sofia wanted to incorporate suffragettes and other icons of the North East to promote equality. She comments; “It became more about celebrating the diversity of culture, championing the strength of community and showcasing local history to inspire viewers.”

Sofia set out to research using the Tyne and Wear Archives at Discovery Museum and Newcastle City Library. She read through old newspaper articles and about landmarks of the North East that were accessible from Metro stations. Sofia also spoke to many different people to collect this information before drawing each person for the panels. Amongst those she spoke to (and owe many thanks to) were Mandy from Crack Magazine, Phil Douglas from Curious Arts, Nikolas Barrera from VAMOS & the Spring bank Pavillion Project, and Vikas Kumar from GemArts. “It was important for me to add different cultural backgrounds and also LGBTQ+ history as a queer artist. I often feel these groups are under represented and wanted to show the vibrancy of their stories,” states Sofia.

She chose her colour palette before adding people, focusing on symmetry before the detail. Sofia comments; “I knew I wanted colour, but toned down some shades, e.g. the orange in the centre panel into a peach and so on“. The drawings of people started as rough sketches using a 2B pencil on loose paper whilst in the library. She then digitally drew these ( and refined them a lot) in Procreate on her iPad, sizing them all and adding backgrounds. To ensure no gaps on the piece Sofia also added some textures to fill space. Once she had this in place, she added a banner for their name, deciding to go with their surnames. Sofia then took this design and went over it on Adobe Illustrator which helped her develop the pattern, colours, and textures on a larger scale. She tells us; “My thought process was that each person would have additional information available them through a QR code etc that could be scanned on the metro to view a description.”

Once these designs were digitally complete Sofia and the other artists were invited to view them full scale at Nexus House. She made sure none of the colours would clash with the yellow bars on the metro and changed the centre panel to have more blue instead of yellow.

Then, of course, the art reveal at NCA Gallery! Sofia states; “The design looked so much better in person than just on a screen. It was astounding and I was very emotional meeting the wonderful friends and family of some of the people portrayed in the artwork. The new trains will enter service in Summer 2023 and I can’t wait for everyone to see the artwork displayed inside them!”

Sofia’s illustration features figures including; Emily Sandé – a singer and songwriter born in Sunderland, Kathleen Brown – a Suffragette from Newcastle who staged a hunger strike while sentenced to solitary confinement in Holloway Prison, and Jimmy Forsyth – a British photographer who, despite being blind in one eye due to an industrial accident, became celebrated for his portrayal of the working class communities of Tyneside. Sofia has also included landmarks of the North East such as Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields, The curved roof of Newcastle Central Station, and The spire of Christchurch in Jarrow.

@sofiabartonillustration
www.sofiabarton.co.uk

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