Sing London, the participatory arts group who brought pianos, ping pong tables and talking statues to the streets of London, is celebrating the opening of The Baker Street Wonderpass.
The permanent installation, created in collaboration with Scottish designer Hamish Brigg, has transformed a dank underpass into a cabinet of curiosities.
Described by Sing London as part optical illusion, part tourist information bureau and part gallery, the Wonderpass invites passers-by to linger and learn about Baker Street’s rich cultural history.
The walk-through experience includes five Cabinets of Wonder to peer inside: the Baker Street Station Cabinet, Madame Tussauds Cabinet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Cabinet, Sherlock Cabinet and Wallace Collection Cabinet.
Exhibits for the Madame Tussauds, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Wallace Collection cabinets were created by Jess Linares, Max Jones and Tom Ellis respectively.
.jpg)
Ben Plowden, Director of Surface Strategy and Planning at Transport for London (TfL), called the Wonderpass ‘a fantastic example of maximising the opportunity of essential maintenance and safety improvements to transform a once bleak walkway into a cultural destination in its own right’.
The Baker Street Wonderpass was commissioned by the Baker Street Quarter Partnership and funded by TfL and Westminster City Council through the Bryanston & Dorset, Marylebone High Street and Regent’s Park Ward budgets.
“The challenge was to catch people’s eyes and engage them as they walk through, ’ explains graphic designer, Alice Roche. ‘And, to leave them curious to discover more.”
