Fashionable pigeons offer new lease of life to drab Waterloo underpass
A once-harsh and overlooked underpass has been transformed into a riot of colour and humour thanks to a brand-new mural.
Water Loopy Flypass, just opposite Waterloo Station, has been decorated with a flock of fashion-forward, commuter pigeons soaring under the arch in quirky outfits by the London School of Muralism (LSoM).
Artist Patricio Forrester, founder of LSoM and co-founder of the Artmongers collective, said: “This space felt a bit unloved.
“Humour can dissolve the tension in a space like this. And pigeons—often stigmatised—deserve the spotlight. They’re graceful, resilient and undeniably part of London’s soul.”
The project brought together seven emerging muralists with members of the community through a collaboration with St John’s at Waterloo Arts Club.
After five lively design sessions, two draft designs were presented to the public for a vote through networks LERA, Coin Street, SOWN, and St John’s at Waterloo.
With 189 people casting their votes, the playful pigeon design soared ahead with 65 per cent of the total.
Painting directly onto the high-arched structure posed unique technical challenges with artists needing to account for extreme viewing angles and distort figures accordingly.
The team also approached the space sensitivity, knowing it’s regularly used by people experiencing homelessness.
The mural was brought to life by LSoM students Tessie Orange Turner, Charlotte Clarke, Finn Donovan, Tia McKoy, Beci Ward, Farya Hussein, Ana Mendoza and Ruan Murphy, with painting contributions from Waterloo residents John Pierce via SoWN, Nishi Begum via Coin Street and Francesca Hearn via LERA.
Mr Forrester said: “Brewers Decorator Centres is proud to have supported this vibrant mural at Waterloo Station by supplying the paint and materials needed to bring the artist’s vision to life.
“We’re committed to championing creativity in public spaces and are thrilled to play a part in brightening one of London’s busiest stations with this inspiring artwork.”
The mural has been supported by Arts Council of England, Network Rail and Brewers Decorator Centers.
Pictured top: Artists get to work on the mural under the Water Loopy Flypass (Picture: Lola garcia photography)
