January can be a wet, cold, and grey month for people living in London. The group Smile For London decided to brighten up the London Underground with poetry and animation. The group asked a selection of poets and writers (which includes both famous and amateur) to contribute writings of up to 40 words that would be developed into animations that would play on the platform screens across the London Underground.
Some of the poems are poets which include Jarvis Cocker, Murray Lachlan Young and Benjamin Zephaniah. The imagery for the animation was done by illustrators, artists, animators and filmmakers including Macolm Garrett, Andy Rementer and Why Not Associates.
Forty of the Words in Motion films were created. Each piece is twenty seconds long and combines a voiceover, text, and imagery.
The Word in Motion project aims to spark an interest in poetry and writing as well and also to amuse and visually inspire the individuals who see the pieces. The pieces are no longer running in London, but you can see all of the pieces on a the Word in Motion Vimeo page. It might just brighten your day.
Image Source:
Word in Motion Pieces on Vimeo
Links:
Word in Motion Pieces on Vimeo