Magic Carpet for new Tube Map Cover

From yesterday you'll be able to pick up a London Underground map with new artwork from Los Angeles artist Pae White.


'...fragment of a Magic Carpet, circa 1213' is a section of a Persian rug, made up from the colours of the Tube map.

And you've guessed it, the Persian rug means "the flying carpet motif as a suggestion of magical transport". So even if you've not got around to making an Oyster card wand or watch, and waving it with the command Open Sesame when you get to the barriers, you can still get a sense of the Arabian Nights.

White said: 'The work plays on the idea of networks, storytelling and mythology, weaving the colours of the different Underground lines from Harry Beck's iconic Tube map together as a rug.

'Tapestry is considered to be one of the highest forms of art in the Middle East and by taking this form, the work is a small tribute to cultural integration.

'I felt that presenting it as a fragment acts as proof of the 'real thing', even though the carpet itself is mythological. I'm interested in the relationship between an antique, imaginary object and the digital representation of it.'

I would love to have a magic carpet and would use it instead of the Tube any day. Although I would miss the magic of seeing how many people can squeeze themselves into a tiny space, fit for about half the amount that get inside a carriage. Or the magical way that the District Line is slowly transforming itself into the Northern Line in a bid to becoming the worst line on the Tube.

Any other magical Tube sightings or experiences to complement the new Tube map design are more than welcome.