World first as bus stop in Derry estate gets Amelia Earhart treatment

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Joe Campbell has come up with a new concept to make waiting for the bus in Galliagh a little more interesting.

In what must be the world's only Amelia Earhart-themed bus stop, he has repurposed the stop to tell the story of the first female solo Atlantic crossing by the aviator who landed, under mile from the stop, in a farmer’s field after making a non-stop 2,000 mile solo flight on May 21, 1932.

Working in partnership with the local council and community and voluntary organisations, the project grew out of a need to find ways of preventing the vandalism by a tiny minority.

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The artist – a long-term resident of the area - has artworks in the Arts Council collection and was a City of Culture artist in 2013.

Joe Campbell has come up with a new concept to make waiting for the bus in Galliagh a little more interesting.Joe Campbell has come up with a new concept to make waiting for the bus in Galliagh a little more interesting.
Joe Campbell has come up with a new concept to make waiting for the bus in Galliagh a little more interesting.

He said: “The whole City of Culture experience here in Derry, in 2013, was an exercise in how arts and culture can effect positive cultural change in a city and region.

"I wanted to replicate that effect in a housing estate, to create artworks that would change negative perceptions and foster a sense of civic pride, to give residents something nice to look at and enrich their daily lives.

"In effect, to rebrand the area. It's a concept that has been used all around the world and throughout history.

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“I had previously studied the idea whilst taking a degree in Art History at the Open University some years back. The story of how Renaissance Florence was transformed by the arts was fascinating.

In what must be the world's only Amelia Earhart-themed bus stop, he has repurposed the stop to tell the story of the first female solo Atlantic crossing by the aviator who landed, under mile from the stop, in a farmer’s field after making a non-stop 2,000 mile solo flight on May 21, 1932.In what must be the world's only Amelia Earhart-themed bus stop, he has repurposed the stop to tell the story of the first female solo Atlantic crossing by the aviator who landed, under mile from the stop, in a farmer’s field after making a non-stop 2,000 mile solo flight on May 21, 1932.
In what must be the world's only Amelia Earhart-themed bus stop, he has repurposed the stop to tell the story of the first female solo Atlantic crossing by the aviator who landed, under mile from the stop, in a farmer’s field after making a non-stop 2,000 mile solo flight on May 21, 1932.

"It wasn't just big money patrons like the Medicis who made Florence into 'Firenze Bella' or 'Beautiful Florence’, but every citizen. Whether it was through, local guilds, or religious organisations the money was donated in small amounts by local citizens.

"Even some streets commissioned artists to create small artworks to adorn where they lived. Artists were local and they were valued. They had a social and civic role to play and the city and state supported them accordingly. We need some of that here.

“The idea of featuring local stories on a bus stop, which could be read as you waited, came to me after being commissioned by the Shantallow Area Partnership and the local council to come up with ideas to solve the vandalism of local bus stops which had been happening over many years.

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"The ideas fostered in Florence of the past seemed to fit the bill and set me thinking how I could replicate that in my own area.

The new Amelia Earhart-themed artwork in Galliagh.The new Amelia Earhart-themed artwork in Galliagh.
The new Amelia Earhart-themed artwork in Galliagh.

“After the initial sketches, I worked with youth groups and a men's group to look for ideas on local history and a number of themes were identified.

"As well as the themes, I had to think of ways make make the stop 'bulletproof'. We printed the artwork onto custom steel sheets . After that, the panels were coated in anti-graffiti laminates to minimise future attacks on them.

"What emerged was a small 3D jigsaw, a three dimensional something that hadn't existed before and which lent itself well to showing an illustrated story.

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“I think the idea is something that could be replicated anywhere. Initially, I would love to see something similar in the old walled inner city, which now teems with tourists, but, to be honest I think it would work well in any area.”

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