Transforming kindness into works of art
In Montreal and London, underground random makeovers
LONDON – It’s been another long day at work and you’re exhausted. You walk down the métro escalators and squeeze into the train under someone’s armpit, wishing you could snap your fingers and be home. Instead you’re stuck in the sweltering heat with hundreds of others whose stomachs are grumbling in unison with yours. In these uncomfortable routine moments, surrounded by a seething swath of humanity, it may be hard to imagine going out of your way to be nice.
But British artist Michael Landy was inspired by daily acts of kindness he witnessed on the London Underground. He is encouraging commuters to share their stories of kind gestures on the Transport for London website (art.tfl.gov.uk/ actsofkindness) and is showcasing the quotes with colourful posters in different stations until the end of 2012. Whether it’s giving your seat to someone, helping someone with heavy bags up the stairs or sharing a laugh or a smile, Landy’s project – titled Acts of Kindness – celebrates compassion and generosity in the Underground. It invites commuters to notice acts that are often small and simple but that can change someone’s day.
More than 400 stories have been sent in since the campaign was launched in July 2011. Stories range from a man getting fellow commuters to play musical chairs to a woman who broke the heel of her shoe – and a complete stranger who lends her a pair of brand new shoes with her address for the shoes to be mailed back.
“You don’t have to be superhuman to be kind. I’m interested in the positive exchanges between two complete strangers who will never see each other again,” says Landy.
“With the millions of strangers taking the Tube every day, I tried to democratize kindness and make my art accessible to everyone, reaching out so that commuters can take part in it, too.”
Tamsin Dillon, the Head of Art on the Underground, says this project has caught the imagination of a wide range of people in London. “Everyone tries their best to remain in their personal bubble when they travel, but we’d like for people to connect.”
With the 2012 London Olympics coming up, there is a growing concern that public transport in the city will be chaotic over the summer.
“It’s going to be a moment where we’re all going to have to think about each other a lot more than we might have done in the past,” says Dillon. “Asking people to be kind to each other on the Tube is an interesting thing to do at this point.”
Placing artwork in underground tunnels is a popular trend in metropolitan cities around the world. Montreal’s own Art Souterrain festival starts Saturday and runs until March 11. It showcases contemporary art placed on seven kilometres of Montreal’s underground city, in 14 zones starting from Place des Arts and ending at Complexe Les Ailes. Artwork and workshops will be featured in five métro sta- tions on the Orange and Green lines: Place des Arts, Place d’armes, Bonaventure, Square Victoria and Mcgill. (View the full circuit at artsouterrain.com/en/2012edition/circuit/)
“Over 350,000 workers pass through Montreal’s tunnels every day,” says Frédéric Loury, the director and curator of Art Souterrain. “If we can leave a trace that is noticed by passersby, we’ve reached our goal. The people who notice will relay the information to others and it can have a great impact.”
Loury believes Landy’s Acts of Kindness project has a universal appeal.
“I’m sure the Acts of Kindness project would be popular in Montreal,” he adds. “When people are called upon to think past their daily routine, their faces glow. They feel excited by the change and a lot of them react positively when a public space becomes more than a mere passageway.”
Therese Joyce is a commuter who shared her story on the London Underground website about moving to London from Canada to pursue a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology. She had two large suitcases containing all of her worldly possessions – one filled with books – and every time she arrived at a staircase a different person would offer help bringing them up or down. When she arrived at her station, a couple offered to walk her to her final destination 10 minutes away; they each grabbed a suitcase, leaving her with only a light purse to carry.
“I was exhausted and everyone was incredibly nice,” says Joyce. “It was such a perfect welcome to my new home.”
“I think everyone has it in them to be good – you just have to think about it.”
Above ground or under it, there’s something powerfully simple in the art of being kind.