Art / News
Butterflies take flight at Temple Meads
Butterflies have taken over a small corner of platform 7 at Bristol Temple Meads.
Hundreds of the winged insects made out of old train tickets have been lovingly affixed to stone columns and a wooden bench by Genevieve Sabherwal, a student from Backwell School.
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“I was inspired by the idea of migration patterns, that we live in a world full of borders and restrictions whereas butterflies are free to fly wherever they wish, making them the perfect symbol for freedom,” says the 18-year-old, whose work is called #paperjourneybtm.
“This made me think about journeys, and wonder how I could bring nature into the big city. By collecting the train station’s used train tickets with all the final destination being Temple Meads, I was amazed by the journeys and people who migrate through the station each day, which inspired the paper cuttings.
“The final installation showed all these journeys and people flying through the station in a liberating and hopefully beautiful way.”
As Genevieve worked on the installation, she said that some people walked by three or four times before plucking up the courage to sit on the bench.
She also met a wide variety of people including a butterfly researcher.
“The day was truly wonderful and I never expected my work to ever receive so many smiles and interests,” Genevieve adds. “It has been lovely sharing my thoughts and work to the day to day commuters of Bristol. The reactions have been brilliant to watch.”
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