All aboard the artist express

Train journeys can be boring, but as we peer out the windows at the scenery rushing by our brains are often ticking away.

Julie Andrews’ latest project, Art in Transit, explores the experience of the commuter and the view from the train window.

Exhibited at The Front in Docklands last month, the project features a collection of images created by commuters, primarily on the Bendigo to Melbourne train.

“It’s about how we feel and what we think when we look out the window,” Ms Andrews said.

A Bendigo local herself, Ms Andrews travelled the route at different times before and throughout the exhibition, handing out cards to travellers and asking them to create a drawing, which would then be displayed anonymously.

“Some people said ‘I don’t draw’ but loved the idea and couldn’t help themselves,” Ms Andrews said.

What resulted were more than 250 drawings as varied as the artists themselves. While some drew exactly what they saw when looking out the window, others added a bit of imagination to the mix.

One lady, who was travelling to Melbourne to pick-up her wedding dress, drew a picture of a bride standing in the middle of train tracks.

According to Ms Andrews, the drawings often became a way for people on trains to connect with each other, sparking conversation between strangers.

“There’s something in this that has a way of connecting people.”

Many of the drawers attended the closing event for the exhibition last month in Docklands, at which they were invited to select a drawing they connected with to keep.

If you didn’t have a chance to see the Art in Transit exhibition in Docklands, you can catch it at Bendigo Railway Station until July 4 and at RMIT Spiritual Centre at the city campus from August 4 to August 7.