Graffiti artists, put your cans away, this train ain’t your usual moving canvas

It is already early evening but you just have enough time to jump on that bus and get your favourite spray cans from your local art supplies shop.

Should the shop be closed by the time you get there, Bombing Science online shop will be there to the rescue, you happily reassure yourself.

You like painting on trains, very much so. But the Genbi Shinkansen train is not or should not be one of them since artists have already been there and have made it beautiful.

The world’s fastest art appreciation

Genbi Shinkansen | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

“The world’s fastest art appreciation” is what East Japan Railways, the train operator running the service, calls it.

The high-speed Genbi Shinkansen opened last year on the Jōetsu Shinkansen railway line but we only learned about it recently.

The train carried out three round trips daily on most Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and while speeding through Japan (up to 210km/h), it gives its commuters displays of prominent contemporary artworks throughout its carriages.

Seven of the carriages in fact are used as “rolling art spaces”. All seven show a different artist and which gives passengers a vast choice of material to enjoy.

Even better, not only the indoors are used to display art. Indeed the windowless carriages of the Genbi Shinkansen’s are wallpapered with striking photographs of Niigata’s Nagaoka Fireworks Festival by photographer Mika Ninagawa

Art on display in each carriage

You can enjoy art throughout the entire train. Lose yourself from one end to the other and enjoy modern art created by prominent artists.

Kids have not been forgotten and should find joy in the specifically designed playroom where they can interact with modern art first hand.

We have included below photographs of our favourites carriages

Car #11

Car #11 GENBI SHINKANSEN | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

The artwork on display was conceived by incorporating the unique space, light and speed of the Shinkansen, and built around the themes of bountiful harvests, festivals and light. Take a seat and experience an amazing moment of change in which you discover the immensity of the light that surrounds us in the world.

Car #13

Car 13 Genbi Shinkansen | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

We selected this carriage because the art is mainly about landscapes and here at Art-Pie, we appreciate very much the subject. Sip on a coffee while looking at artworks inspired from the GENBI SHINKANSEN route, a traditional thoroughfare in use for centuries around the city of  Joetsu with Mikuni Kaido being the name of an ancient highway in Japan.

Eating Robots: And Other Stories (Nudge the Future)

I have always been fascinated by SCI-FI subjects like AI – Artificial Intelligence.

AI is real and it’s slowly creeping into our lives, so I should probably not assimilate it to SCI-FI. 

But I ask myself – how far will AI go in controlling our lives?  Will it enhance them? Does AI mean the demise of the Human race – this is SCI-FI to me right now.

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If you feel the same way, Stephen Oram’s Eating Robots: And Other Stories (Nudge the Future) collection of short stories may bring you answers, or clues, as to what AI might look like in 100 years (or less, or more – I do not know).

Robots are AI
Robots are AI

The author’s imagination about the topic is vast and will definitely make you think more about what AI will actually mean to us as humans.

From the ability to share memories with someone you love, to reseting us every 1000 years, and even the ability to choose which celebrity hologram will drive your driverless car today.

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> BUY THE BOOK
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Stephen Oram goes from the very funny (which sometimes turns too silly for my taste), to the depressing and scary when it comes to AI, but why should it be one or the other.

Immerse yourself in these short stories and make up your own mind.

PS: Injecting some good old human anxiety into AI systems may be the answer for the fears we have. Described as the ‘anxiety loop’ by Oram, this sounds like a plan.

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> BUY THE BOOK
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Bunny suicides from Andy Riley

When we first saw Andy Riley’s Bunny Suicides illustrations, we immediately love them but also found them very funny.

In a nutshell, rather desperate bunnies try to end their lives by any means they can think of and find themselves in ingenious yet dramatic situations.

You are looking at dark humour so these might not be your taste but cute bunnies might?

We included 9 of the best illustrations of the illustrator we spotted online

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Bunny Suicides by Andy Riley | Art-Pie

Why you should go to the London Peckham Rye Music Festival

Peckham, once an area that most Londoners regarded as a no-go area, has become in recent years a hip and cultural hub in the capital.

One of the events which is conveying this message is the London Peckham Rye Music Festival. Here is Why you should go to the London Peckham Rye Music Festival.

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    • The festival is over two week ends. The main festival takes place on the 12th May through the 14th May (week end) but more individual ticketed events also take place the next week end so you should be able to squeeze something in your ever busy schedule!
    • There is a wide spread of music genre – HOUSE, TECHNO, ELECTRONICA, GRIME, GARAGE, BASS, DISCO, JAZZ, FUNK, SOUL so hop from stage to stage or find your ultimate gig area.
Peckham Rye Music Festival | Art-Pie
The Peckham Rye Music Festival street parties. Street art by INSA
  • The festival venue is easily accessible due to its central London-ish location. The closest train station is Peckham Rye which is a five minute walk to the ‘Festival Hub’ in Copeland Park. The entrance to Copeland Park is accessible via 133 Rye Lane, then down Bussey Alley, until 9PM and Bournemouth Road from 9PM until midnight.
  • You can get a day ticket for as low as 15 quids! But hurry up as it is selling fast.
  • Secretsundaze is playing on Sunday 14th May at the Outdoor Stage and you do not want to miss it! Weather, please be good so we can have a kick ass time!

We hope we convinced you to get yourselves down to Peckham and enjoy the impressive range of music genres across another impressive number of stages.

We’ll see you there.

STREET ART