“25 towards Ilford”
Goldsmiths; “Works in Transit” exhibition; 310 New Cross Road, March 26-29, 2019.
Women and girls are the most invisible homeless. With streets too precarious for sleep, many find night buses are a place of relative safety. The number 25 bus, which goes from Holborn to Ilford, is the longest route in London, and the most popular for those who use buses for sleep. This work, “25 towards Ilford”, pays respect to the resilience of those who find safety on London’s night buses, as well as making visible in the city people who have been excluded by the violence of the city. The bus route of the number 25 was hand embroidered on a miniature duvet cover, designed to match the size of two bus seats. The cover conjures images of bedrooms, and home, while the embroidery resonates feminine nurture and craft. It was exhibited on a real London bus seat as part of “Works in Transit” at Goldsmiths University. It is part of a wider body of work by Rachel. See also “Street Heritage” in the section of the website; “Public Work.”
The work was designed for a bus seat, where it was used as a conversation opener on several number 25 buses. It was eventually left on a bus, with an explanatory note for the curious, or for anyone who wanted to claim it.